The legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting was bombarded by Indian fans on social media over the last couple of days following an alleged viral comment of his, in which he apparently called the Indian team “sore loser” after the handshake row that gripped the India vs Pakistan match at the Asia Cup 2025.
The IND vs PAK encounter on Sunday in Dubai, which was won comfortably by India by seven wickets, stirred up both nations’ cricket fans as well as political enthusiasts after the Indian team avoided shaking hands with the Pakistani counterparts.
While the handshake gesture is customary and not an official or mandatory act, it prompted the critics of the Indian team to invoke sportsmanship and the spirit of the game.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav replied back by stating, “Few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit also,” referring to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attacks earlier this year.
Asia Cup: Ricky Ponting Clarifies His Viral “India Sore Loser” Comments After Handshake Row In IND vs PAK
On Monday, a quote went viral on social media from Pakistani handles who claimed that it was made by Ponting.
The quote read, “This match will be remembered forever with India the big loser. The way the Pakistani team wanted to shake hands at the end has immortalised them as champions of the gentleman’s game with India as the perpetual sore loser.”
Ricky Ponting made a clarification on Twitter that he had not said anything about the handshake drama between India and Pakistan, confirming that the viral quotes were not made by him and that they are utterly fake.
Ponting tweeted, “I am aware of certain comments being attributed to me on social media. Please know that I categorically did not make those statements and indeed have made no public comment about the Asia Cup at all.”
The no-handshake decision from India has lit up more fires. The PCB alleged that match referee Andy Pycroft had told Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha that there will be no handshake at the toss.
The PCB then lodged a complaint with the ICC asking for the removal of Pycroft as match referee in the Asia Cup. Pycroft is also slated to officiate the upcoming Pakistan vs UAE match on Wednesday.
However, the ICC has reportedly rejected PCB’s demand. According to Cricbuzz, the ICC has replied to the PCB, saying that the ACC officials on the ground told Pycroft that there wouldn’t be any handshake during IND vs PAK game.
Apparently, the PCB has also threatened to boycott their match against the UAE.
Asia Cup: What will happen if Pakistan boycott their match against UAE?
The Pakistan vs UAE match is a direct shootout: with both teams having two points in two games, the winner of this match will proceed to the Super 4 round, and the loser will be knocked out of the Asia Cup.
Has ICC rejected PCB Request to replace match referee Andy Pycroft?
Yes. ICC has officially rejected PCB’s request to replace the match referee Andy Pycrof
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