Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has reacted to news about India captain Suryakumar Yadav’s reluctance to attend the traditional pre-final photoshoot alongside the Asia Cup trophy. The lead-up to the final has already been tense, with India denying handshakes at the toss and post-game, stoking the long-time rivalry.
Both the group and Super Four encounters between the two teams were characterized by showy celebrations and acrimonious exchanges, at times dominating the cricket. However, on the field, it has been one-way traffic in favor of India, whom they have routed in both meetings thus far. Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy, the No.1 ranked T20 batter and bowler respectively, have been the key to their success.
“They can do whatever they want, we will just follow the protocol. The rest is up to them—if they want to come, they come, and if they don’t, we can’t do anything,” Agha said to reporters
“We don’t focus on what we can’t control. Media talk, outside noise—we ignore it. Our goal is the Asia Cup. We came here to play good cricket, and tomorrow we’ll aim to win the final,” he said.
Responding to controversy, Agha said he was not very bothered about India’s attitude, and that Pakistan would still follow Asian Cricket Council (ACC) procedures. While Suryakumar Yadav recently opined that the India–Pakistan cricket rivalry has “dwindled” due to India’s consistent dominance, Agha had a different take on things. The Pakistan captain stuck to his guns and claimed that the India games still have the same level of intensity and pressure as earlier. He admitted that his team’s errors in previous matches were expensive and stressed that limiting errors will be the priority for Pakistan in the coming final.
“Yes, Pakistan-India games always carry pressure. If I say otherwise, it would be wrong. But the truth is, we made more mistakes than them, which is why we lost. In these games, the team that makes fewer mistakes usually wins. Tomorrow, our goal is to reduce mistakes,” he said.
