Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad, while criticising India’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistani players since the Asia Cup 2025, said that Indian players themselves are hurt by the handshake controversy, calling the act disappointing and against the spirit of sports.
Miandad said that when people saw Indian players refusing to shake hands, it did not leave a good impression.
He questioned the intent behind such actions and said that if there were deep issues, then coming to play cricket made little sense.
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“They have condemned themselves through this behaviour,” Miandad said.
“When fans see players not shaking hands, it looks bad. If you cannot show basic respect on the field, then why come to play at all?” he questioned.
The former captain stressed that shaking hands is a basic tradition of the game and should not be influenced by politics or external pressure.
He said cricket must remain separate from political tensions at all times.
Miandad also revealed that he also conveyed his message to Sunil Gavaskar, explaining that such decisions usually come from political leadership rather than the players themselves.
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“This is all the doing of their Prime Minister,” said Javed Miandad.
He added that these actions have no place on a cricket field.
“This kind of behaviour comes from political pressure, not from the players,” Miandad said.
“Cricket should never be mixed with politics.”
He further pointed out that Indian players are affected by such situations as well, as they want to play the game freely and compete in a healthy sporting environment.
“Indian cricketers want to play cricket,” Miandad added.
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“They are hurt by these things too. Sports should be treated as sports, and politics should stay out of it.”
For the unversed, Pakistan and India have not shaken hands during their recent encounters since the Asia Cup 2025, when Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with the Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha following the military tensions between the two nations, which disrupted both the IPL and PSL in May.
