New Delhi, Sept. 16 -- Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has denied a viral quote that was falsely attributed to him in the aftermath of the handshake row during the clash between two arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, at the Asia Cup.

Amid the worsening ties between India and Pakistan, the two sides squared off against each other for the first time since the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 in Dubai on Sunday. Despite the backlash and the call for a boycott, the fixture went ahead and sparked a new controversy.

Shaking hands after the toss and the match has been a longstanding practice in cricket. However, the Indian players refused to shake hands with their counterparts after securing a landslide 7-wicket victory in Dubai. In ...