When India and Pakistan met in a Super 4 clash last Sunday, there were plenty of simmering tension on display, with the Pakistan pacers trying their best to get in the face of India batters. Haris Rauf, in particular, led the charge in this department, trying to unsettle batters like Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. Today’s Asia Cup final, which will be the first time in tournament history that India and Pakistan face off in the summit clash, could witness similar scenes after Pakistan cricket team captain Salman Ali Agha defended the aggression of his pacers in the previous game.
“If someone wants to be aggressive on the ground, then why not. If you deprive a fast bowler of their aggression, then what’s left?” Agha said at the pre-final press conference. “Every player knows how to deal with their emotions. I give players license to react the way they want at the ground. As long as they’re not disrespecting anyone and stay within the line, I have no issues with that.”
In the Super 4 game, Haris Rauf had mimicked crashing planes and also held up six fingers (to show 6-0) at the crowd, a dig based on Pakistan Army’s claim that it had shot down India’s fighter jets. Meanwhile, Shaheen Afridi exchanged stares with Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill.
Umpire mediates between Indian players Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and Haris Rauf during the Asia Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Rauf was fined 30 per cent of his match fees by the International Cricket Council for breaching the ICC code of conduct. Pakistan batter Sahibzada Farhan was not fined and let off with a warning. Meanwhile, India captain Suryakumar Yadav was also fined 30 per cent for breaching the ICC code of conduct with his comments that alluded to the military conflict after the group game against Pakistan.
India have defeated Pakistan twice so far in the Asia Cup, beating their neighbours by seven wickets in a group stage clash before claiming victory by six wickets in a Super 4 clash, where the Pakistan team tried to turn up the heat on Indian batters with their confrontational attitude.
The Pakistan captain, meanwhile, did find something that he was not okay with: Indians refusing to shake hands with them in both games in protest of the heinous terror attacks at Pahalgam earlier in the year. The Indians are not expected to offer a handshake today as well.
“I’ve been playing cricket since 2007 professionally. I’ve never seen no handshakes between two teams. My dad is a huge fan of cricket and used to tell me about its history. He never told me about any game where there’s not been a handshake. I’ve heard it’s never happened before. When India-Pakistan games took place in even more tense situations, handshakes always happened. Not to have handshakes is not good for cricket. If someone wants to be aggressive, whether they’re from my team or their team, I have no issues with that, but you should shake hands at the end of it,” Agha said at his press conference.
The postSalman Ali Agha defends tactics vs India: ‘If you deprive a fast bowler of aggression, then what’s left?’ | Cricket News appeared first on Indian Express
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