Both captains skipped the customary handshake at the toss (Image credit: Zimbabwe Cricket) NEW DELHI: The captains of India and Pakistan again skipped the customary toss of hands during their Group 2 Super Six encounter at the 2026 U-19 World Cup on Sunday. India Under-19 captain Ayush Mhatre and Pakistan captain Farhan Yousaf completed the toss without exchanging the traditional greeting.The absence of a handshake during the India-Pakistan toss has become an increasingly familiar sight ever since India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart at the 2025 Asia Cup, amid rising political tensions between the two nations. The pattern continued when India A avoided shaking hands with Pakistan Shaheens during the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 match and the same scenario played out again in the Under-19 World Cup encounter.
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The match saw Pakistan Under-19 win the toss and decide first in the decider of Super Six Group 2. With this being the last game of the group stage, both teams entered the contest needing a win to keep their semi-final hopes alive, making it a must-win match for the Asian rivals.Australia and Afghanistan have already secured their place in the semi-finals from Super Six Group 1, while England have advanced from Super Six Group 2.With England safely through, only one semi-final place remains available from Group 2. India are in second place with three wins from three matches and a net rate of +3.337, while Pakistan occupy the third spot with two wins from three matches and an NRR of +1.484. A win for Pakistan would put them level with India on six points, but they would still need a sizeable margin to overcome India’s superior net speed. For Ayush Mhatre-led India, a win would be enough to secure qualification. India also remain unbeaten in the tournament.India vs Pakistan Under 19 Under 11 Match:India U-19 Playing 11: Aaron George, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre(c), Vihaan Malhotra, Abhigyan Kundu(w), Vedant Trivedi, RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Deepesh Devendran.Pakistan U-19 Playing 11: Hamza Zahoor(w), Sameer Minhas, Usman Khan, Ahmed Hussain, Farhan Yousaf(c), Huzaifa Ahsan, Ali Hassan Baloch, Abdul Subhan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Sayyam, Ali Raza.
