Colombo, February 15, 2026: India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha once again avoided the customary handshake during the toss ahead of their high-voltage clash at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
After winning the toss, Agha refrained from engaging with his Indian counterpart and walked straight to the presenter to announce his team’s decision. Moments later, Suryakumar Yadav followed suit, with no visible interaction between the two captains.
The absence of the traditional handshake continues a pattern seen in recent encounters between the arch-rivals. Players from both sides have largely avoided customary interactions since their group-stage meeting at the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup in Dubai last year.
The issue first drew widespread attention during that fixture when Suryakumar Yadav did not greet Agha at the toss. Following India’s victory, he and teammate Shivam Dube returned to the pavilion immediately after scoring the winning runs, further fuelling debate.
India and Pakistan later met twice more in the continental tournament — in the Super Four stage and the final — but handshakes were again notably absent. After winning the final, the Indian team also refrained from receiving the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
The practice has not been limited to senior men’s cricket. Similar scenes have been witnessed during meetings 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, the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, and the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
In the recently concluded ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026, captains Ayush Mhatre of India and Farhan Yousaf of Pakistan also avoided shaking hands after their encounter, underscoring that the trend now spans multiple formats and levels of the sport.
