{"id":2934,"date":"2026-02-15T15:13:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T15:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=2934"},"modified":"2026-02-15T15:13:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T15:13:28","slug":"pakistani-and-indian-captains-refuse-to-shake-hands-in-highly-anticipated-match-world-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=2934","title":{"rendered":"Pakistani and Indian captains refuse to shake hands in highly anticipated match | World News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Indian and Pakistani cricket captains refused to shake hands at the coin toss before the T20 World Cup showdown on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Pakistan’s captain Salman Agha had previously said he would leave it up to India’s players to decide if they were to shake hands with his team before and after their T20 World Cup match.<\/p>\n

However, India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Agha walked away from each other without making physical contact.<\/p>\n

The move comes amid political and military tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours who were on the brink of all-out war<\/strong><\/a> in May 2025.<\/p>\n

Sunday’s match in Colombo, Sri Lanka, will be the first time the teams have met since an acrimonious clash last September at the Asia Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates, won by India<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

On that occasion, players also refused to shake hands.<\/p>\n

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\n India and Pakistan players shake hands during happier times in 2011. Pic: AP
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Pakistan<\/strong><\/a> captain Agha said: “The game should be played in real spirit, the way it has been played since it started.<\/p>\n

“The rest is up to them (India), what they want to do.”<\/p>\n

He added: “We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow (Sunday).”<\/p>\n

Heightened tensions mean the two sides have not played a bilateral series in years.<\/p>\n

Last May, the two nations clashed in the worst fighting in decades after a terror attack<\/a><\/strong> in India-administered Kashmir killed 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists.<\/p>\n

Days of missile strikes between the countries followed, until a ceasefire was brokered<\/strong><\/a> by the US administration.<\/p>\n

Read more from Sky News:<\/strong>
Russia killed Alexei Navalny with dart frog poison, UK says<\/strong><\/a>
More than 30 dead as gunmen attack communities in Nigeria<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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