Colombo: R. Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha avoid shaking hands during the toss during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
After winning the toss, Agha skipped a conversation with his Indian player and walked straight to the host to discuss his team’s result. Suryakumar then followed suit and there was no apparent exchange between the two captains.
The absence of a traditional handshake continues a trend seen in recent meetings between the arch-rivals. Players from both sides have avoided regular chats since their group-stage encounter at the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup in Dubai last year.
The issue first drew attention when Suryakumar did not congratulate Agha in the toss during that match. Following India’s win, he and teammate Shivam Dubey returned to the pavilion soon after scoring the winning runs, further fueling the debate.
India and Pakistan have met twice in the continental competition – at the Super Four stage and in the final – but on both occasions there were no handshakes.
Also, after registering a win against their arch-rivals in the final, both Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) presidents avoided receiving the Men in Blue tournament trophy from Mohsin Naqvi.
This practice is not limited to senior men’s cricket.
Similar scenes were witnessed during their meeting at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, as well as in age-group and emerging competitions including the ACC Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship, ACC Under-19 Asia Cup and the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
At the recently concluded ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026, India’s captains Ayush Madre and Pakistan’s Farhan Yousuf also avoided shaking hands following their meeting.
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