There are few things above sportsmanship, says Suryakumar on handshake snub

The controversies which began with the onset of the Asia Cup don’t look to be ending anytime soon. The tournament was in limbo after India’s refusal to participate in the beginning.

There was a standoff after Pakistan refused to play in India, due to which the spectacle was shifted to the UAE.  However, a new controversy has engulfed the tourney with the Indian team refusing to shake hands before and after the match.

Riding on the bowling performances of the spinners Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and a blitzkrieg innings by Abhiskeh Sharma, India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets.

After hitting the winning shot, Suryakumar-led India did not shake hands with Pakistani players. In the protest Pakistan captain Salman Agha did not turn up for the presentation ceremony.

Not only Suryakumar justified his act but also vowed to remain steadfast on his decision.

In reply to a question by Gulf Today, the Indian captain said: “I feel few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit. I have already said in the presentation that I stand with all the victims of the Pahalgam attack. We stand with their families also to express our solidarity.

Suryakumar was all praise for his spinners Kuldeep, Axar and Varun Chakravarthy. The trio bowled a combined total of 12 overs, conceding 60 runs and taking six wickets put together.

Kuldeep, who picked up four wickets against the UAE, was again the leading wicket-taker as he claimed three. In two matches, his rally has reached seven, making him the highest wicket taker and the top contender for the man of the series.

“They are working very hard in the nets and it can be seen in the match. They are very clear with their plans and that is what makes my job very easy. It is good to see all the three spinners firing. They are very well supported by Hardik and Bumrah,” informed the Indian captain.

“As I said, we dedicate this win to our brave army soldiers, who took part in operation Sindoor. As they continue to inspire us, we will try our best to inspire them if possible,” added Suryakumar.

“The Indian government, the BCCI and we were aligned together. We have come here to play cricket. We gave them a proper reply,” he continued.

Indian launched operation Sindoor in the aftermath of the terrorist attack, which led to the exchange of artillery between the armed forces of the two neighbours.

Suryakumar also stressed that they wanted to bowl first and it was already decided in the team meeting.

“I wanted to bowl first. Because when we bowled here in the last match against the UAE, in the second innings wicket became better.  If we had batted first, it would have been more or less the same.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan coach Mike Hesson expressed his disappointment over the handshake snub by the Indian team.

“It was disappointing as we were ready to shake hands at the end of the game but our opposition did not do the same,” he said.

Defending his openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, Hesson said: “Barring the last three–four matches, they had been doing on the top averaging almost 40. Ayub can be a very important player for any team. They have lost a bit of momentum recently but I am confident that they will return to form soon.

Ayub scored a second consecutive golden duck and third in his last five innings, including this match, with the highest being 17.

While Farhan was a little better. His scores in the last five innings had been 8,18,6,0and 29 before this match. Farhan scored a fighting 40 against India, but before that his highest in the last five innings was 29.

"With the bat we were a bit frenzied at the start. The ball held on the surface, as we expected. But we didn't respond as well as we would've liked. We got to the end of the power play and we were in the game, and we got squeezed,” he added.

"That built up a lot of pressure during the middle overs. The more big games you play, the more trust you have in your own game. We've certainly got players who are finding their feet. We'll come back stronger in a few days," he concluded.