India captain Jitesh Sharma was the major attraction during the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 clash against Pakistan Shaheens in Doha on November 16. Jitesh Sharma attracted attention even before the first ball was bowled in the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 match in Doha.
Adding another chapter to India’s ongoing no-handshake stance, Jitesh walked away from Irfan Khan without shaking hands with the Pakistan Shaheens captain at the time of the toss. India A was full of confidence after defeating UAE by 148 runs in their opening match.
But Pakistan Shaheens showed they were ready for the fight, dominating the Group B contest and securing an impressive eight-wicket win – their second consecutive win in the tournament. However, it was not the result but the heated moments throughout the game that made headlines.
Jitesh Sharma distances himself from Irrfan Khan as India continues no-hands stance against Pakistan
In fact, Jitesh Sharma avoided shaking hands with Irrfan Khan during the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 match and after the national anthem, both the teams left without the usual greetings. And when the match ended, the Indian players once again kept distance from Shaheen.
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Jitesh Sharma and his India A team followed the trend started by the senior Indian cricket team during the Asia Cup 2025 in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir earlier this year.
It started when India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands before and after the match with Pakistan during the Asia Cup.
The women’s team had adopted the same stance in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. Now, the India A team has taken the same message forward by showing support for the victims of the tragic Pahalgam terrorist attack. But this was just the beginning.
See Jitesh Sharma’s expression here:
Pakistani players showed extra aggression after ignoring handshake with India
Throughout the match, Pakistan players played with unusual aggression, showing extra aggression on the field, as if they wanted to settle scores with India by refusing to shake hands. His body language, celebration and intensity made it clear that he was taking this moment personally.
Pakistani spinner Saad Masood gave a fond farewell to Naman Dheer. After taking the wicket, he turned towards the Indian dugout and made a pointed gesture, almost asking Dheer to walk away immediately. And the umpire came forward and warned him for his behaviour.
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Pakistan Shaheens beat India A to enter semi-finals of Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025
Meanwhile, India A faced a nightmare as nothing went their way and Pakistan Shaheens won the one-sided encounter by eight wickets. Vaibhav Suryavanshi tried to save the innings with 45 runs, while Naman Dheer fought hard for 35 runs.
But as soon as these two left, the rest of the batting collapsed like a house of cards. Pakistan’s spinners completely dominated the middle overs, hampering the scoring rate and forcing almost every Indian batsman to make mistakes. India A team collapsed for just 136 runs.
Chasing the target was so easy for Pakistan Shaheens as Maaz Sadaqat not only took two important wickets but also played an unbeaten inning of 79 runs to help his team win with 40 balls to spare. His all-round performance dashed India’s hopes and sealed a place in the semi-finals for Pakistan.
