India’s Rinku Singh, left, and Pakistan’s Faheem Ashraf before an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between India and Pakistan, at R Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.
PTI Photo/R Senthilkumar
India captain Surya Kumar Yadav did not shake hands with Pakistani counterpart Salman Agha during the toss for the group stage game of the T20 World Cup 2026 in Colombo on Sunday.
SKY continued the trend that started in the Asia Cup last year as a mark of protest against the Pahalgam attack.
The “handshake” between the two teams has come into focus on multiple instances when the sports teams from the two nations have squared-off following ‘Operation Sindoor’, with relations between the two neighbours remaining strained since the hostilities of last May.
Here are the instances when the teams opted against shaking hands and also some moments when the teams bucked the trend.
- The first time India and Pakistan did not shake hands was when they faced-off in 2025 Asia Cup cricket tournament in Dubai. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan skipper Salman Agha did not shake hands at the toss. India beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the game and the two sets of players also did not shake hands after the game got over.
- This was repeated when the two teams played each other in the Super Four stage of the tournament. Yet again, the two captains did not acknowledge each other by not shaking hands. And once the contest was over, the two teams went their separate ways with shaking hands.
- The two teams did not engage in any niceties and refused to shake hands on several more occasions like the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup match, the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup, the men’s Rising Star Asia Cup tie and in the women’s Rising Star Asia Cup match.
Handshake Moments
A handshake happened at the 2025 Women’s T20 World Cup for the Blind. The two teams brushed aside their differences and shook hands after the game got over. In fact, they took the same bus to travel to the stadium and again shared the bus while heading back to their hotels.
The hockey teams of the two nations also showcased sportsmanship last year. During their round robin encounter of the 2025 Sultan of Johor Cup played in Malaysia, players from India and Pakistan junior teams greeted each other with handshakes and in the customary pre-match routine.
ALSO READ: Catch all the live updates about the India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 group stage match here
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