During the Under-19 World Cup 2026 match, the captains of India and Pakistan traditionally did not shake hands at the time of toss. India captain Ayush Mhatre and Pakistan captain Farhan Yousuf completed the formalities of the toss without the customary greetings, a gesture that immediately caught attention ahead of the match.
India take on Pakistan in their final Super Six match of the World Cup at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Sunday, February 1. Both sides are pushing for a place in the semi-finals, which has added more edge to the competition. The Ayush Mhatre-led team has progressed in the tournament so far without facing any major tests.
India-Pakistan U19 captains did not shake hands again in the World Cup toss.
The two captains traditionally did not shake hands during the U19 World Cup match between India and Pakistan. Indian captain Ayush Mhatre and Pakistan captain Farhan Yousuf completed the toss without any conversation.
Like recent meetings between the two sides, both captains avoided eye contact and did not exchange words. The handshake usually seen as a sign of sportsmanship before the coin toss did not occur.
Notably, this move appears to have been intentional and not a mistake. This lack of communication has become a recurring feature in India–Pakistan matches, with tension visible even before the first ball is bowled.
– Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) 1 February 2026
Hesitation in handshake between India and Pakistan in all formats in international cricket
Refusal to shake hands has become a regular pattern in recent India-Pakistan cricket matches. This first came to light during the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup in September, when Indian players avoided shaking hands with Pakistan during the group stage.
The trend later spread to women’s cricket at the Women’s World Cup in Colombo on 5 October, where Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana also skipped the traditional greeting.
Earlier in the U19 World Cup, Ayush Mhatre had avoided shaking hands with Bangladesh captain Jawad Abrar. There was no toss handshake at the Blind Women’s T20 World Cup in November, but the Indian and Pakistani teams traveled together and greeted each other warmly after the match.
Playing XI for India vs Pakistan U19 World Cup Super Six match
Farhan Yousuf said at the toss, “There is a bit of moisture on the pitch. The bowling unit wants to make use of it. There is not much difference between Harare and Bulawayo. We have done really well in the last 3-4 matches. The focus is on good play and good intentions, not too much planning for NRR. One change.”
“The boys are performing really well. We are quite confident. The boys are playing really well. It’s a sunny day. The last two matches, good weather and that has really helped us,” Mhatre said at the toss.
Pakistan U19: Hamza Zahoor (w), Sameer Minhas, Usman Khan, Ahmed Hussain, Farhan Yousuf (c), Huzaifa Ahsan, Ali Hasan Baloch, Abdul Subhan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Syam, Ali Raza.
India U19: Aaron George, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre (captain), Vihaan Malhotra, Abhigyan Kundu (w), Vedant Trivedi, RS Ambareesh, Kanishk Chauhan, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Deepesh Devendran.
Also read: BCCI selectors leave out Sanju Samson from announcing India’s playing XI for T20 World Cup 2026
