As soon as Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav hit a six in Dubai last night, the Indian players went straight to the dressing room. The Pakistani players were waiting to shake hands as usual. But there was no talk, no wink, no handshake—the Indians’ attitude towards the Pakistani team was as cold as ice.
Chasing 128 runs, India won in just 15.5 overs. Pakistani media claims that no one even came out to meet the Pakistanis standing outside the Indian dressing room.
As soon as the video of the incident went viral, Pakistani players, coaches, and former cricketers started criticizing them heavily. Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson said, ‘It’s very disappointing.’ Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar alleged that Suryakumar Yadav has brought politics into cricket.
Rashid Latif said, ‘Yes, you are the Indian cricket team. Yes, you are the best team in the world…but you didn’t shake hands after the game. This shows your true colors! The Pakistani players were waiting, but the Indian players went straight to the dressing room! Where is the ICC!’
Pakistani fans are criticizing India’s behavior on social media as ‘unsportsmanlike’. However, Indian fans seem to be enjoying it. According to them, their team did the right thing in line with national sentiments.
Will the Indian team be punished
Now the question arises – will the ICC punish them for India’s behavior?
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already said that their representative has officially complained after the match. Now let’s see what the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) do about this.
Although the Asia Cup is organized by the ACC, since all international matches are governed by the ICC Code of Conduct, the ICC Code of Conduct applies. The ICC has always talked about sportsmanlike behavior. However, nowhere in the rules is it written that shaking hands at the end of the match is mandatory.
Shaking hands is considered a mere symbol of courtesy. But there is no punishment for intentionally not shaking hands in the code of conduct. The preamble of the ICC Code of Conduct states that players should show respect for the game, teammates, opponents, umpires and match officials.
Therefore, the ICC has no legal right to punish the Indian team. The world cricket governing body can at most give a ‘mild reprimand’ to Suryakumar’s team for this behavior. And an Indian – Jay Shah – is sitting at the top of the ICC. As a result, it is unlikely that the ICC will say anything to India for this incident.
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