Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has claimed that the Indian cricket team should have held out their hands to the Pakistani cricketing team after they played a match with them in Asian cup 2025. Tharoor used the analogy between the case and the Kargil War, where the Indian soldiers were professional and dignified in the war. According to him, the cricketing team should have ensured the same measure of sportsmanship.
India vs Pakistan Handshake Row In Asia Cup 2025
This happened when India won 7 wickets over Pakistan on the 14th of September 2025 in Dubai. Indian players did not even shake hands with their counterparts in Pakistan even after the match as it is customary. This led to the disgruntlement of majority quarters and the Pakistani Cricket Board had to submit a grievance to the Asian Cricket Council. The remarks of Tharoor have raised the broader debate on the subject of politics and sports interaction. People might believe that the political tensions were justified by the Indian team actions, however, people like Tharoor who consider that sporting activities are politically neutral believe that politics should not be a part of sporting activities. Through this, he claims that they are the required gestures towards goodwill and understanding amid nations.
#WATCH | “I personally feel that once the decision had been made to play, if we feel so strongly about Pakistan, we should not have played…But if we are going to play them, we should play in the spirit of a game, and we should have shaken their hands…We have done this before… pic.twitter.com/6luy8Gyt6i
— ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2025
Shashi Tharoor On India vs Pakistan Handshake Row In Asia Cup 2025
The incident has also created controversies over the topic of cricket and international relations and diplomacy. This is a feeling that the sport should be a unifying element among the nations and it brings peace and friendship. The words of Tharoor bring to the fore the importance of maintaining decorum and respect even when handling difficult circumstances though the handshake matter may look very insignificant to others, it is meant to emphasize the relationship between sports and politics. The perspective that Tharoor puts across is something that reminds people of what sports should be.
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