India National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match: India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha did not shake hands during the toss of their T20 World Cup 2026 match in Colombo on Sunday, as India continued its no-handshake policy against Pakistan. India has followed a no-handshake approach against Pakistan since the Asia Cup in 2025, and the position has remained in place in both men’s and women’s matches.
Before the game in Colombo, neither captain gave a clear answer on whether they would exchange handshakes. Speaking on Saturday, Suryakumar avoided the question and said the team was focused only on playing cricket.
Agha had said before the game that Pakistan was open to shaking hands and that the decision rested with India. He added that cricket should be played in the right spirit, even if his personal view did not matter.
The issue first drew attention during the Asia Cup when Suryakumar declined to shake hands with the Pakistan captain. Pakistan briefly discussed skipping its next fixture in that tournament but later chose to continue. The no-handshake stance remained in place for the remaining matches between the teams.
Earlier on Sunday, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar criticised the no-handshake stance, calling it “silly” and saying it did not reflect well on a major cricketing nation. “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,” Manjrekar wrote on his X account.
Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first in the high-profile clash. Pakistan named an unchanged side. India made two changes, bringing in Abhishek Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav in place of Arshdeep Singh and Sanju Samson.
India vs Pakistan Playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan (Playing XI): Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan(w), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq
