The India vs Pakistan match in the T20 World Cup 2026 finally got underway on Sunday in Colombo. However, there was no customary handshake between the two captains – Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha
– during the toss.
The handshake had been a talking point ever since Pakistan agreed to face India in the tournament. Fans, however, got clarity when Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first at R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
Suryakumar Yadav says no to handshake with Salman Ali Agha at toss
Pakistan opt to bowl in Colombo#INDvsPAK #T20WorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/5iTSTmSpA4
— Vecna 001 (@VecnaBhau) February 15, 2026
While Pakistan named an unchanged team, India made two changes to their playing XI, bringing in fit-again Abhishek Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav in place of Sanju Samson and Arshdeep Singh, respectively.
Earlier, PTI reported there would be no post-match handshakes between players or support staff from either side. The move is understood to reflect a gesture led by Suryakumar Yadav as a mark of respect for victims’ families and in solidarity with the Indian Army following recent developments.
That the status quo would remain intact had already become evident on the eve of the game, when neither Surya nor Salman Ali Agha firmly committed to a handshake, with the Pakistan skipper saying he preferred to “uphold” the broader spirit of cricket.
For the Indian camp, emotions around the April incident are still raw. There was notable backlash earlier when Suryakumar was seen shaking hands with Mohsin Naqvi, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, during the pre-tournament captains’ press conference in Dubai.
India vs Pakistan Playing XIs:
India: 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: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq.
(With Agency Inputs)
