Former England greats Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan and David Lloyd shared their strong opinions on the ongoing “no-handshake” controversy between India and Pakistan.
India’s “no handshake” policy sparks debate among England legends
During the recent T20 World Cup 2026 encounter in Colombo, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan captain Salman Ali Aga did not shake hands at the time of the toss.
Even after India’s 61-run win, Indian players skipped the traditional post-match handshake and went straight to the dressing room.
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This strict “no handshake policy” has been in place since August last year. India adopted it in April 2025 to show solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and to honor the Indian Army’s Operation Sindoor. Now all the cricket teams are following this trend.
Alastair Cook reveals that India-Pakistan field drama is just a show
Sharing his views on the drama, former England captain Alastair Cook has now revealed that the on-field animosity between the two arch-rivals is mostly a sham. The great batsman revealed that behind closed doors, Indian and Pakistani players are still friendly and talk normally.
Cook believes that the drama of the handshake is only to respect the political sensitivities between the two countries. Alastair Cook said on the Stick to Cricket podcast, “But then aren’t they talking behind closed doors? I read somewhere that everyone is chatting anyway, so it’s like, it’s just for show, isn’t it?”
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Cook continued, “Like, on the actual field, they’re not shaking hands. Behind closed doors, they’re all talking. I like that; I like that. They’re just standing on one leg saying, “Are you going to move? What are you going to do? What are you going to do?”
“No shaking hands on the cricket field!”
Discussion on Team India vs Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/LP1akSRtWN
– Stick to Cricket (@StickToCricket) 18 February 2026
Vaughan-Lloyd calls India-Pakistan tension ‘strange’
On the other hand, Michael Vaughan and David Lloyd have described the situation as awkward and inconvenient.
Vaughan said during the discussion, “Their view, Pakistan versus India – I mean, it’s a mismatch. Well, it feels like that, doesn’t it? To me it looks like Pakistan; every time they play against India, they look intimidated by India on the cricket field.”
“That whole situation is bad, isn’t it? It is. You know, it’s very sad,” Lloyd said.
Can India and Pakistan meet again in T20 World Cup 2026?
Meanwhile, India have made a great start to their T20 World Cup 2026 defense by winning all three of their Group A matches so far. The Men in Blue have now confirmed their place in the Super 8 stage. Pakistan also confirmed their place in the Super 8 after a big win over Namibia in Colombo on 18 February.
Both teams have now joined six other qualifiers, with the Super 8s divided into two groups of four. In this round, each team plays three matches within its group, and the top two from each group will advance to the semi-finals. This phase sets up the possibility of another epic India-Pakistan encounter.
If both the teams perform well then they may face each other in the semi-finals. If all goes well, both can win their semi-finals and meet in a blockbuster final on March 8. The potential India-Pakistan final will be one of the most exciting matches of the tournament.