Suryakumar Yadav, India Get Orders To End No Handshake With Pakistan

Agha Salman and Suryakumar Yadav [Source: @SpotOnEntertai1/x]

Suryakumar Yadav and the rest of the Indian cricket team has been urged to end the ‘no handshake’ drama with Pakistan players. Former cricketer and active commentator Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his request prior to the blockbuster India vs Pakistan Group A showdown of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

It is worth noting that the Indian cricket players refused to interact with their Pakistani counterparts throughout the 2025 Men’s T20 Asia Cup in the UAE last year. While captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to clarify Indian’s stance going forward during a pre-match press conference on February 14, the ‘Men in Blue’ players will likely follow the ‘no handshake’ protocol despite Manjrekar’s mediation.

Sanjay Manjrekar says either “shake hands” or “don’t play at all”

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has lambasted India’s ‘no handshake’ policy against Pakistan players, describing it a “silly move” on part of the ‘Men in Blue’. Manjrekar also added that Indian cricketers should either shake hands and uphold the spirit of the game, or not play with them at all.

Taking to X a few hours prior to India vs Pakistan Group A match of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the prominent commentator wrote “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.”

Sanjay Manjrekar

@sanjaymanjrekar

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.

Why is Team India not shaking hands with Pakistan?

Team India collectively refused to interact with Pakistan players throughout the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE last year. India’s cold-shouldered policy can be attributed to the fact that the tournament was conducted in the aftermath of a cross-border exchange between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

It is worth noting that India’s severing geo-political ties with Pakistan took a turn for the worse in early-2025 after the Pahalgam terrorist attack that resulted in the lives of 26 Indians and a foreign national. A few weeks later, the Indian government retaliated with deadly strikes in several terror hubs in Pakistan.

Cricket eventually got caught in the crossfire, resulting in a sense of mutual hostility between the players from both nations at the 2025 Asia Cup. Moreover, the Indian team also refused to collect the Asia Cup 2025 trophy in Dubai from controversial PCB chairman and ACC President Mohsin Naqvi owing to the latter’s disparaging remarks against the Indian Army.

Team India to face Pakistan in Colombo after PCB’s ‘boycott drama’

The India and Pakistan teams will be squaring off at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, February 15. The match marks the third respective Group A fixture for both sides in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

With both teams securing two wins in two games, the winner of the match will likely finish the opening round of the tournament at the top of the Group A points table.

It is worth noting that the Pakistan government and the PCB had barred the Pakistan team from facing India on political grounds earlier this month. However, after getting threatened by the ICC and even by an SLC official, the PCB decided to uplift the boycott and to proceed with the big-ticket match as scheduled.