No handshake at toss: India's stance against Pakistan continues in T20 World Cup despite calls for 'spirit'

NEW DELHI: India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha did not shake hands during the toss in the T20 World Cup 2026 match between the arch-rivals in Colombo on Sunday, continuing India’s no-handshake policy against Pakistan.

The customary gesture was absent after the toss, extending a stance that has been in place since the Asia Cup 2025 across men’s and women’s cricket.


Agha won the toss and elected to bowl in the Group A match, which was only confirmed as going ahead six days ago when the Pakistan government made a U-turn on a threat to boycott the match.

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That the status quo will be maintained was clear when neither Surya nor Salman committed to shaking hands, while the Pakistan skipper stated that he would like to "uphold" the spirit of cricket.

Also read: Sanjay Manjrekar minces no words on India's 'silly' handshake policy vs Pakistan

Ahead of the match, Suryakumar had declined to clarify his position at the pre-match press conference. "Wait for 24 hours. We are here to play cricket. Have good food and sleep," he had said on Saturday.

While Pakistan skipper Agha had indicated that Pakistan were open to the gesture and that the decision rested with India. "Cricket should be played in the right spirit. My personal opinion may not matter, but cricket should be played the way it has always been played. It’s up to them to decide what to do," he had said.

During the Asia Cup, Suryakumar had declined to shake hands with the Pakistan captain, which led to a reaction from Pakistan. They briefly considered boycotting their next fixture in the tournament before deciding to continue. The no-handshake policy remained in place for the next two matches between the teams.

Earlier in the day, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar criticised India’s no-handshake policy against Pakistan, calling it "silly" and saying it does not reflect well on a major cricketing nation.

"This ‘no shaking hands’ is such a silly thing that India has started. It’s unbecoming of a nation like ours. Either play properly within the spirit of the game or don’t play at all," Manjrekar wrote on his X account.

Sunday’s development confirmed that the approach remains unchanged at the T20 World Cup.


Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.