India captain Suryakumar Yadav refuses to shake hands with Pakistan’s Salman Agha ahead of T20 World Cup 2026 clash
India captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart Salman Agha at the toss ahead of their T20 World Cup 2026 clash at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
The move reflects a recent pattern involving Indian teams in matches against Pakistan, with the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026 match earlier today being the latest such episode.
During the men’s Asia Cup 2025, Indian players opted out of pre- and post-match handshakes in all three encounters between the sides. A similar approach was followed by the Indian women’s team at the Women’s World Cup 2025 as well as men’s U-19 World Cup.
This stance has coincided with heightened political tensions between the two countries following the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed, and the subsequent Operation Sindoor.
On the eve match of the fixture, Suryakumar was asked whether the team will shake hands for which he said: “Just wait a bit, you will know tomorrow, just have your food, sleep well tonight.”
When Salman was queried about his thoughts, he said: “What I expect, obviously, does not matter. But I feel that the game should be played the same way as it has been since the beginning of cricket. The rest is up to them and whatever they want to do,”
Published on Feb 15, 2026
