Suryakumar Yadav skips Asia Cup 2025 final Photoshoot against Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha

On Sunday, leading up to the highly anticipated final of the Asia Cup 2025 between India and Pakistan, India's captain Suryakumar Yadav made a surprising call and did not attend the pre-match trophy photoshoot, which took place at Dubai International Stadium less than an hour before the toss. The scheduled pre-match event is a traditional pre-game celebration where the captains pose with the trophy, which in this case saw Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha pose with the championship silverware by himself.

With the already charged environment surrounding this final, this incident prompted immediate discussion. This is the first time the historically adversarial nations of India and Pakistan will compete in an Asia Cup Final, and it was their third meeting this tournament; India was victorious in both previous matches. India certainly has a psychological advantage heading into this title matchup.

Suryakumar’s decision also comes on the heels of a controversy of recent origin. Earlier in the month, Suryakumar received a 30% match fee sanction from the ICC after dedicating India’s win in their group-stage game over Pakistan to the victims of a terror attack in Pahalgam. After Suryakumar made the comment, the Pakistan Cricket Board argued that the comment was political and called for a Level 4 sanction; however, the ICC ultimately settled on a financial sanction only. The BCCI has since appealed to the ICC for the decision.

ALSO SEE: [WATCH] Shaheen Afridi's brilliant catch sends back Shubman Gill during IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 final

In a calm and diplomatic manner, when asked about the situation occurring off the field in the lead-up to the final episode, Salman Ali Agha said, "They can do whatever they want; we will follow protocol. What they choose to do is up to them. We are here to play cricket." 

Agha also pointed out that Pakistan would not be distracted by chatter off the field. "Whatever the media talk is and any noise outside doesn’t concern us. We’re here for the Asia Cup. We’ve come to play good cricket and now we’ll try to win tomorrow in the final," he said. 

When it came to the game plan, Agha suggested that Pakistan would be adaptable. "It depends on conditions. In the first match, we started with spin and added some pace later. Generally, the team that makes fewer mistakes will win these matches," he said.

As the cricketing world anxiously anticipates the next chapter of the age-old rivalry, the final on Sunday should provide all of the requisite drama and intensity as well as a shot at history for both sides.