Asia Cup 2025: Shashi Tharoor slams India-Pakistan handshake snub, calls for sportsmanship

As India and Pakistan gear up for a possible Asia Cup final clash on Sunday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has spoken out on the ongoing debate over Indian players refusing to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the tournament.

Speaking to ANI, Tharoor said while emotions against Pakistan are understandable, sport should remain separate from politics and conflict.

‘If we play, play in the right spirit’

“I personally feel that once the decision was made to play, if we feel so strongly about Pakistan, then we should not have played them at all. But if we are going to play, we should play in the spirit of the game and shake hands. We did this even in 1999 during the Kargil War, when soldiers were dying on the frontlines and yet we shook hands with Pakistan during the World Cup in England,” Tharoor noted.

He stressed that cricket carries its own spirit, distinct from the tensions between nations and their armies.

Lack of sportsmanship on both sides

The Congress leader also criticised the conduct of both teams. “If the Pakistani team, having been insulted the first time, decided to insult us back the second time, it shows that the spirit of the game is lacking on both sides,” he said.

Tharoor’s comments come amid heated debates as cricketing ties between the two countries continue to stir emotions beyond the boundary line.