India captain Suryakumar Yadav has kept the suspense alive as to whether he will shake hands with the Pakistan players during the draw or after the T20 World Cup match in Colombo on Sunday.
The players of India and Pakistan have not shaken hands since last year’s Asia Cup in Dubai, which was held after the Pahalgam incident and the subsequent Operation Sindoor led by the Indian armed forces.
“Wait for 24 hours. We are here to play cricket. Eat and sleep well,” Suryakumar told reporters when asked about the issue.
Much of the pre-match build-up to the India-Pakistan encounter has focused on boycotts, “spirit” and whether the captains will stick to the now-established norm of not shaking hands.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha he remained coy when asked if his team was ready to shake hands. “We’ll see tomorrow (Sunday),” Agha said at a pre-match press conference on Saturday.
Since September’s Asian Cup, both countries have largely done away with the pre-match and post-match handshake etiquette (which is not mandatory). India started the trend in the Asia Cup draw ahead of the first group match in Dubai.
What Agha emphasized, however, was to play the game in the right spirit. “Cricket should be played in the right spirit,” he said. “My personal opinion may not be important, but cricket should be played as it was always intended to be played. It is up to them to decide what to do,” he added.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
February 14, 2026