Overview

• At the Dubai toss, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha did not shake hands; Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat with both teams retaining their opening-match XIs.
• The central government and BCCI said India must fulfill fixtures in multination tournaments to avoid forfeiture, a stance reiterated by BJP MP and former sports minister Anurag Thakur.
• A Supreme Court request to urgently halt the game was not taken up, clearing the way for the politically charged Group A fixture to proceed.
• Boycott campaigns and street protests continued in India, including an effigy burning in New Delhi, as victims’ families labeled the match insensitive after the April Pahalgam attack.
• Public figures split over the occasion, with former cricketer and minister Manoj Tiwary vowing to personally boycott viewing while Wasim Akram urged fans and players to focus on the cricket.