“It is disheartening to see” - Shoiab Akhtar lashes out at Indian players for not shaking hands with Pakistan players

Former Pakistan pacer and The Rawalpindi Express, Shoaib Akhtar, has lashed out at the Indian players for opting not to shake their hands with the Pakistani players after their seven-wicket dominant win over Pakistan on Sunday, September 14, in Dubai.

Speaking on a local Pakistani show, Akhtar felt that he was disheartened and speechless to see India not taking part in customary post-match handshakes. He slammed the Indian players for making things political. 

Interestingly, Pakistani players, including skipper Salman Ali Agha, waited for Indian players to come out of the dressing room for handshakes, but none from the Indian team decided to come out, which didn’t go down well with the former pacer.

"I'm speechless. It is disheartening to see, and I don't know what to say. Hats off to India. Just don't make things political. Cricket match hain isko political mat banao. Hum ne acchi statement di hai aapkee liye. Hum bohut kuchh bol sakte hai. Hoti rehte hain ladayi jhagre, ghar me bhi ho jaati hain. (Don't make a cricket match political. We have said nice things about you. We can say a lot of things about the no handshake. Fights happen, even inside your house. Forget it, move on. It is the game of cricket, shake your hands, show your grace,) said Akhtar in a Pakistani show

Speaking about the decision, the Indian captain Suryakumar has revealed that it was a team call, and some things are beyond sportsmanship.

"We took a team call. We had come only to play. We had given them a reply. Some things are beyond sportsmanship. We dedicate this victory to our armed forces who took part in 'Operation Sindoor' and stand with families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack," said Suryakumar in the post-match presentation.

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