Ravi Shastri led the way with a warm but telling welcome for veteran match referee Andy Pycroft before the first Test between India and West Indies at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. From Zimbabwe, Pycroft was at the center of a controversy during the Asia Cup 2025. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) charged him with not maintaining the spirit of the game after the no-handshake during the group stage match between India and Pakistan.
During the toss, Shastri jokingly noticed Pycroft, trivializing past controversies that transpired in Dubai for the Asia Cup.
“Back in the house, all the way from Dubai, in the hot seat. Andy Pycroft,” said Shastri said during the toss
West Indies win the toss and elect to bat first in the 1st Test against #TeamIndia
For more updates – https://t.co/Dhl7RtjvWY #INDvWI #1stTEST #TeamIndia @IDFCfirstbank pic.twitter.com/0aTIgdLXD7---Advertisement---— BCCI (@BCCI) October 2, 2025
During that previous event on September 14, the Indians had declined to shake hands with the Pakistanis, so it was not surprising when the PCB reported the incident to the ICC and requested Pycroft’s dismissal for the remainder of the tournament. The PCB went so far as to threaten withdrawal from the competition if their demand was not met.
The ICC denied the complaint, saying there was no case for action, pointing out that Pycroft had merely relayed the BCCI position to the Pakistani team. This controversy caused a one-hour delay to the Pakistan–UAE group match while the PCB pondered its response. Only as play was about to start did the PCB release a statement that Pycroft had apologized for a misunderstanding in the India–Pakistan match. They also shared on social media a video of Pycroft discussing with Pakistan captain Salman Agha and coach Mike Hesson, although the clip was silent.
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Things came to a boiling point when PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, along with former administrators Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi, alleged that Pycroft had played the role of “India’s fixer” — something Raja said although he had no proof.
