The Asia Cup 2025 final between India and Pakistan has been underscored by a controversy surrounding the lack of handshakes between the two teams in their previous encounters. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has voiced his displeasure over the matter, stating that he has never seen teams refuse to shake hands in his years of playing professional cricket.

Agha highlighted that the issue began during the group-stage match when India captain Suryakumar Yadav declined to shake hands with him. This was followed by Indian players only shaking hands with the umpires after their Super 4 victory, omitting the customary exchange with the Pakistani team. Agha emphasized that such actions set a "poor precedent for the spirit of the game".

"As far as handshakes are concerned, I've been playing professional cricket since 2007 at the under-16 level. I've never seen two teams not shaking hands during a match," Agha stated in the pre-match press conference. He further added that even his father, a cricket enthusiast, had never mentioned such an occurrence, even during times when relations between the two nations were strained. "India and Pakistan have faced each other before, even when relations between the countries were worse, and handshakes always happened. According to me, no handshakes are not good for cricket," Agha asserted.

In protest of the snub, Agha boycotted the presentation ceremony and did not attend the post-match press conference.

Despite the controversy, Agha affirmed his team's focus on the crucial match. "We don't focus on what we can't control. Media talk, outside noise—we ignore it. Our goal is the Asia Cup," he stated. He also issued a "strong warning" to India, declaring that Pakistan would maintain an aggressive mindset and that he would give his players a free hand. "Will continue to be aggressive. I will give free hand to team for final, and will back players," Agha said.

Agha expressed confidence in his team's chances, saying, "Inshallah, you'll see us winning. If we play our best cricket and execute for 40 overs, we can beat any team".

The India-Pakistan final is set to be the first-ever title clash between the two rivals in Asia Cup history. India, who are the defending champions and remain unbeaten in the tournament, are considered favorites. However, Pakistan, the two-time champions, are depending on their pace and spin bowlers to challenge India's batting lineup.