By Admin 
On the eve of Sunday’s Asia Cup final, Pakistan skipper Salman Agha weighed into the handshake row for the first time since it flared up after the group-stage meeting versus India on September 14. After a seven-wicket win in a Group-A fixture, India’s players and support staff had refused to exchange handshakes with the Pakistan contingent. There was no change in India’s stance for the second meeting in the Super Four phase either.
“I started playing cricket professionally in 2007 at the under-16 level. I’ve never seen two teams not exchange handshakes after a match,” the 31-year-old middle-order batter said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
“My father is also a cricket fan and he has also never told me about anything like this happening either. Matches between India and Pakistan have happened before as well. The situation has been tense before as well, but handshakes were part of the convention. Not shaking hands is not good for cricket.”
In a tournament that has witnessed more off-field drama than engrossing on-field action, Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan have triggered ire for their “provocative gestures” during the last meeting between the two teams. While Farhan celebrated his half-century with a machine-gun gesture, Rauf depicted the downing of an aircraft while fielding at the boundary.
Asked whether it is incumbent on the captain to restrain his players during Sunday’s final, Agha said: “Every player knows how to deal with his emotions. I give a free hand to players to react the way they want as long as they don’t disrespect anyone. Within the limits, I have no problem with aggression from any player, whether it is from our team or our opponent.”