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Suryakumar Yadav Continues No-Handshake Tradition with Pakistan at T20 WC Toss

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav maintained the 'no handshake' tradition with Pakistan, refraining from shaking hands with skipper Salman Agha at the toss of their T20 World Cup clash in Colombo. Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first in the high-stakes Group A encounter at R Premadasa Stadium. Suryakumar stated India wanted to bat and made two changes to the side, bringing in Abhishek Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav. The match continues a trend of no handshakes that began after the 2025 Pahalgam attack and rising tensions between the nations.

Key Points: India-Pakistan T20 WC: No Handshake Tradition Continues

  • No handshake at toss continues tradition
  • Pakistan wins toss, elects to field
  • India makes two changes to playing XI
  • Arch-rivals meet in high-voltage Group A clash
2 min read

T20 WC: Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav maintains 'no handshake' tradition with Pakistan captain at toss

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav maintains 'no handshake' policy with Pakistan's Salman Agha at T20 World Cup toss amid ongoing tensions.

"It is an occasion, it's a high-stakes game. This sport teaches you a lot of things. - Suryakumar Yadav"

Colombo, February 15

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav maintained the status quo on the handshaking tradition with Pakistan, as he didn't extend his hand to the Men in Green skipper, Salman Agha, at the toss in match 27 of the ongoing T20 World Cup in Colombo on Sunday.

Following the attack in Pahalgam in April last year and rising tensions between the two nations, the senior Indian men's cricket team had refrained from shaking hands with Pakistan players before or after matches throughout the Asia Cup 2025 trilogy.

This 'no handshake' trend continued in subsequent encounters between India and Pakistan in various ICC and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments, including the Asia Cup Rising Stars and the Under-19 Cricket World Cup matches.

In the match, Pakistan won the toss and decided to field against India in their Group A clash. The high-voltage encounter between India and Pakistan is being played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

After winning the toss, Pakistan skipper Salman Agha said, "We want to bowl first. It looks a bit tacky, so we feel it will assist the bowlers for the first few overs, so we want to use that. We are relaxed in our group and excited for this challenge. Bigger ground than SSC, and the pitch is slower than SSC. Same team for us."

Indian captain Suryakumar said, "Not at all, we were looking to bat first. We won the last two games defending, so we don't want to change it. It is an occasion, it's a high-stakes game. This sport teaches you a lot of things, any side can win the game on a given day. Two changes. Abhishek Sharma comes in, and Kuldeep Yadav is in for Arshdeep Singh."

The arch-rivals have faced each other eight times in T20 World Cup history. The Men in Blue have secured seven victories, while Pakistan has won only one game.

India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.

Pakistan (Playing XI): Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha(captain), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan(wicketkeeper), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Fully support SKY and the team's decision. The Pahalgam attack was horrific, and until there's a genuine change, why pretend everything is normal? Cricket is cricket, but national sentiment matters more. Jai Hind!
A
Aman W
The focus should be on the match! We have a strong team and a 7-1 record against them in T20 WC. Let's talk about Kuldeep coming in and Abhishek's debut. That's the real story. 💙
S
Sarah B
Watching from the US. It's interesting how sports and politics are so intertwined here. In most other rivalries, players shake hands. But I understand the context is very different.
V
Vikram M
Actions speak louder than handshakes. Our team's performance on the field is the ultimate message. Win with dignity, play hard. That's the Indian way. Now go and defend that total, boys!
K
Kriti O
It's sad that even the U-19 teams are following this. These are young kids. Can't we keep the politics separate for the next generation? They should be able to enjoy the spirit of the game.

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