India Defeats Pakistan in Asia Cup, Sky Skips Handshakes

India won the match against their rivals Pakistan by seven wickets in the opening game of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

The game had to move to the neutral ground in the UAE because of growing tensions between the two countries. Players didn't do the usual handshakes before or after the match, which was a sad sign of the pain from the April terror attack in Pahalgam and the fighting that came after.

Pakistan batted first and fell to 127 all out, thanks to some great bowling from India's spinners. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy led the way in getting those wickets, even though they dropped a couple of easy catches – something that doesn't happen often for them.

Abhishek Sharma started India's chase with some fast scoring that really put pressure on Pakistan right away. Captain Suryakumar Yadav steadied things with 47 not out from 37 balls, helping India finish the job with plenty of overs left. It was a solid win, but not one of those edge-of-your-seat games we sometimes see between these teams.

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The players decided not to greet each other at the toss or after the game. Yadav told reporters it was a choice made just before the match, based on how people felt back home. "We stand with the families of victims of the Pahalgam attack. We express our solidarity and we want to dedicate today’s win to the Armed Forces," he said. The stadium wasn't full, with many empty seats in the 25,000-place venue. Later, at the press conference, he explained, "The cricket board and government agreed to play, so we focused on that. The no-handshake call came afterward."

This was the first time India and Pakistan played since the Pahalgam attack in Kashmir, which killed people and led to India's Operation Sindoor in May. That involved attacks on terror sites in areas controlled by Pakistan and other places. Pakistan hit back, and while the fighting stopped for now, things are still tense. The two countries haven't played a full series since 2013; they only meet in big tournaments like the Asia Cup. It shows how cricket sometimes has to step into tough political spots.

Things stayed calm on the field, with no big arguments. The only bump was an accidental one between Pakistan's Mohammed Nawaz and India's Tilak Varma, and no one said sorry. But the fans were different – Indian and Pakistani supporters cheered together, showing a friendly side that the players didn't. There were loud cheers from Pakistan fans for their team's short good moments, like boundaries or close calls on lbw decisions, but India's win celebrations took over in the end.

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The game itself might not go down as a famous one, but skipping the handshakes will be remembered. Yadav said they kept their minds on cricket, but the bigger issues were still there. As the Asia Cup goes on, India moves ahead with this victory, but many wonder if sports can help fix the problems that politics has caused.