India’s no-handshake policy towards Pakistan came back into focus as the arch-rivals get set to face each other in the 27th match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
In recent years, tensions between the two countries have spread from politics to cricket. The already sour bilateral relations between them worsened after the Pahalgam terror attack last year. On all three occasions in last year’s Asia Cup, Indian players traditionally refused to shake hands with the Pakistan team at the time of the toss and after the match.
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Captains of India and Pakistan shaking hands:
On the eve of the big clash at the World Cup, both captains were asked if the players would engage in the traditional handshake. However, India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan captain Salman Aga decided not to reveal whether the players will shake hands with the opposition or not.
“Now wait for 24 hours for that. Why pay so much attention to that? We have come to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will answer all those calls later tomorrow. Wait for that. Eat well and sleep.” Suryakumar Yadav said.
On the other hand, Salman Aga said: “We’ll see about it tomorrow.”
“Cricket should be played in the (right) spirit. My personal opinion cannot matter. But cricket should always be played the way it should be played. It is for them to decide what to do.” Agha added.
No handshake policy continues:
As Suryakumar and Aga walked out for the toss on Sunday, the focus was on whether they would break the no-handshake policy. However, the Indian captain decided not to break the tradition and refused to shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart.
India will bat first:
Talking about the match, Pakistan has won the toss and decided to bowl first. Speaking at the toss, Aga said: “We want to bowl first. It’s looking a bit difficult, so we think that will help the bowlers in the first few overs so we want to use that. We are confident in our group and are excited for the challenge. Bigger ground than SSC and slower pitch than SSC. That’s the team for us.”
Suryakumar, on the other hand, said: “Not at all, we were looking to bat first. We have won the last two matches defending so we don’t want to change that. This is an opportunity, it is a high-risk game. This game teaches you a lot of things, any side can win the game on any day. Two changes. Abhishek Sharma came in and Kuldeep Yadav came in place of Arshdeep Singh.
Playing XI:
India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty, Jasprit Bumrah.
Pakistan: Saeem Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Aga (captain), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq.
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