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Men’s Asia Cup. Women’s World Cup. And now the Hong Kong Sixes. Apart from the result remaining the same (an Indian victory), one more thing has remained consistent: there have been no handshakes between the players from India and Pakistan. The trend, which began at the Asia Cup in Dubai, was later followed in the Women’s World Cup, and now it has carried over to the Hong Kong Sixes tournament, where India defeated Pakistan by two runs due to the Duckworth-Lewis (DLS) method.
Once the match was over and the rain played spoilsport, the broadcast was immediately cut off, and there were no signs of the players from either team. The entire world wanted to find out whether there would be any exchange of pleasantries between the two teams.
However, we at Hindustan Times can now confirm that there were no handshakes between the players from both teams once the match got over. The squads remained in their designated area respectively.
A source, who was privy to developments, confirmed that there was no chance of a handshake, as the focus was always on following the norm set during the Asia Cup 2025 edition.
“There was no chance of a handshake; we will follow whatever has been the norm,” the source confirmed.
Speaking of the Hong Kong Sixes match between India and Pakistan, India won by two runs due to the DLS method. Earlier, India posted 86/4 in six overs, as Robin Uthappa smashed 28 runs off 11 balls with the help of two fours and three sixes.
Pakistan were going strong at 41/1 in the third over; however, it was then that rain came down and played spoilsport. The equation showed India to be ahead, and in the end, the Dinesh Karthik-led side were declared the winners.
No handshake saga
The Asia Cup 2025 edition saw the Indian team refusing to shake hands with the Pakistan players. The entire eight-team competition was played in the backdrop of a highly charged-up political atmosphere after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
India played Pakistan three times in the Asia Cup, and all the matches were won by India. The first group stage clash on September 14 saw Suryakumar Yadav charging to the dressing room once the winning runs were hit. The Indian team then shut the door of the dressing room when the Pakistan contingent approached them for a handshake.
This led to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) crying foul and lodging multiple complaints with the ICC over the conduct of match referee Andy Pycroft. The board alleged that the senior official from Zimbabwe failed to uphold the spirit of the game.
Recently, Haris Rauf, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah were all fined by the ICC over their conduct in the Asia Cup.
