In a striking display of ongoing tensions, Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with Pakistan skipper Salman Agha following their T20 World Cup 2026 match at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 15, Sunday. The no-handshake stance, first adopted during last year's Asia Cup, has become a recurring symbol of strained relations between the two cricketing arch-rivals whenever they face off.
This gesture echoes the events of the Asia Cup in Dubai last year, which was hosted amid heightened geopolitical friction following the Pahalgam Terrorist Attack and the Indian Armed Forces' subsequent Operation Sindoor. After defeating Pakistan in the Asia Cup final, the Indian team notably refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, a Pakistani government official and president of the Asian Cricket Council, further solidifying their position of not engaging in post-match courtesies with their Pakistani counterparts.
Since the Asia Cup, Indian players have consistently avoided shaking hands with Pakistan, turning the practice into a frequent topic of discussion in encounters between the two sides. The latest instance at the R Premadasa Stadium underscores the persistence of this protocol amid the high-stakes T20 World Cup clash.
When pressed on the handshake matter, Suryakumar Yadav dismissed immediate speculation, stating, "Now wait for 24 hours for that. Why put so much focus on that? We have come to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls later tomorrow. Wait for it. Eat well and go to sleep. We will see about it tomorrow."
Prior to the match, Pakistan captain Salman Agha won the toss and elected to bat first against India. Suryakumar Yadav announced that Abhishek Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav would feature in India's lineup against their arch-rivals, while Pakistan fielded an unchanged side.
India's Playing XI comprised Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah. Pakistan's unchanged team included Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan (w), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Usman Tariq.
