“It is one's personal choice, these are all small things” - Kapil Dev lashes out at Pakistan team amid handshake row

Former Indian captain Kapil Dev has slammed the Pakistani national cricket team, led by Salman Ali Agha, for creating a lot of off-field drama ahead of their game against the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, September 17, in Dubai.

Notably, the Indian players decided not to shake hands with the Pakistani players after their dominant seven-wicket win in the group stage game on Sunday, September 14, in Dubai. However, this didn’t go down well with Salman Ali Agha and PCB.

PCB was quick to lodge an official complaint with the ICC against the match referee, Andy Pycroft, for not taking any action against the Indian players. Moreover, they decided to boycott their game against the UAE. However, the ICC was quick to intervene and stated that Pycroft will continue as the referee for the game against the UAE.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Kapil Dev lashed out at Pakistani cricketers for making it a big controversy. He added that everyone should focus on their respective gameplay, as they didn’t play good cricket against India.

"There are all small things. One should focus on playing cricket. If someone does not want to shake hands, there is no need to make a big issue out of it for both sides. It is not right to give wrong statements, but some cricketers give statements that become controversial. Pakistan did not play good cricket; they need to work on it. It is one's personal choice whether they want to shake hands or hug,” Kapil Dev said to ANI.

"The Indian team has been playing very well for the past 20 years. The team performs exceptionally well in ICC tournaments. Our cricket is very organised...I am hopeful that Team India will win the Asia Cup 2025," he added.

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