India, Sept. 10 -- The Asia Cup has always carried weight beyond cricket, especially when it brings together India and Pakistan. With the two nations sharing a tense political history and having limited bilateral sporting engagement in recent years, every moment of interaction between their players is heavily scrutinised. This time, in the lead-up to the Asia Cup, much of the spotlight fell on a fleeting handshake between Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha during the captains' press conference.

The room was filled with anticipation as journalists from across the subcontinent poured in. According to journalist Ruturaj Borkakoty, who was present at the venue, "A big number of journalists arrived, mostly fr...