India and Pakistan continued their no-handshake policy on the cricket field during the 2026 U-19 World Cup. The arch-rivals clashed in the 12th match of the Super Six stage of the tournament on Sunday, February 1, at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
As captains Ayush Mhatre and Farhan Yousaf walked out for the toss, the duo once again ignored each other and went about their business as usual, continuing the no-handshake policy that defined the encounter between the two cricketing nations.
The no-handshake policy between India and Pakistan began during the men’s team matches at the 2025 Asia Cup when Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav chose not to shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart Salman Agha. Throughout the tournament, both teams consistently followed the policy which was later followed in the Rising Stars Asia Cup as well as the U-19 Asia Cup.
FIFA U19 World Cup 2026: India vs Pakistan Update
Earlier in the 2026 U-19 World Cup, Ayush Mhatre also failed to shake hands with Bangladesh’s stand-in captain Zawad Abrar during the toss. However, after the match, The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) issued a statement on the incidentdescribing it as an unintentional rather than a deliberate act.
In an official press release, BCB clarified that vice-captain Zawad Abrar’s failure to shake Ayush Mhatre’s hand was not intended as a sign of disrespect. The board said the gesture simply slipped by Zawada as he stood in for regular captain Azizul Hakim, who fell ill shortly before the match.
Vedant Trivedi leads India to 252
Meanwhile, India were bowled out for 252 in 49.5 overs after being put into bat by Pakistan first. The men in blue were soon reduced to 47/3 after Vaibhav Suryavanshi (30 off 22 balls) failed to convert his promising startalthough he received two postponements. Aaron George (16 off 25 balls) and Ayush Mhatre (0 off 2 balls) also departed cheaply, leaving India in early trouble.
After their dismissal, Vedant Trivedi stood tall with a composed 68-run knock off 98 balls, holding the innings together during a difficult phase. Apart from him, valuable contributions from RS Ambrish (29 off 38 balls) and Kanishk Chouhan (35 off 29 balls) provided the much-needed impetus and helped India cross the 250-run mark.
For Pakistan, Abdul Subhan emerged as the pick of the bowlers, finishing with impressive figures of 3/33 in 9.5 overs, while Mohammad Sayyam also claimed two wickets to finish with figures of 2/69. Pakistan now desperately need to secure a win by a wide margin to boost their chances of reaching the semi-finals.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
February 1, 2026
