India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar & Salman Agha continue ‘No-Handshake’ policy at R. Premadasa Stadium
The India-Pakistan blockbuster in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, February 15 saw the continuation of the “no-handshake policy” that has been in place since the Asia Cup 2025.
Neither Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav nor his Pakistan counterpart Salman Ali Agha exchanged handshakes during the toss or indicated any post-match greeting would take place between players and support staff of the two sides.
Policy rooted in solidarity after Pahalgam attack & operation sindoor
The standoff began during the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai, following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor by the Indian Armed Forces. It has been consistently followed as a mark of respect for the victims families and solidarity with the Indian Army.
The two captains did not even make eye contact during the toss proceedings.
Captains maintain stance on handshake tradition
Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha both avoided committing to a handshake when questioned in pre-match interactions. Salman Agha reiterated his earlier position: “I would like to uphold the spirit of cricket.”
Suryakumar had earlier given a similar non-committal reply, saying the team would “see tomorrow” and decide at the toss.
India make two changes, Pakistan unchanged & bowl first
Suryakumar Yadav confirmed two changes to the India XI ahead of the match. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha kept the same playing XI and opted to bowl first.
Current Group A standings before the clash
Both teams entered the match unbeaten with two wins each:
- India: 4 points, NRR +3.050 (after victories over USA and Namibia) – currently top of Group A
- Pakistan: 4 points, NRR +0.932 (after wins over Netherlands and USA) – placed second
The outcome of this high-intensity rivalry match will have a significant bearing on final Group A standings and Super 8 qualification scenarios.
Both teams XI:
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, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq
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