"What I expect, does not matter...": Pak skipper Agha on handshakes with India ahead of T20WC clash
The much-anticipated India-Pakistan T20 clash will finally take place at Colombo on Sunday, following the Pakistan government's withdrawal of its earlier boycott call. However, whether the traditional handshakes between the teams will occur remains uncertain. Following the attack in Pahalgam in April last year and rising tensions between the two nations, the senior Indian men's cricket team had refrained from shaking hands with Pakistan players before or after matches throughout the Asia Cup 2025 trilogy.
ANI
Feb 14, 2026 17:24 IST
Colombo [Sri Lanka], February 14 (ANI): Ahead of Pakistan's ICC T20 World Cup group stage clash against India, captain Salman Ali Agha spoke about the possibility of both teams shaking hands during the toss and after the match, saying that while what he expects does not matter, he wants the game to be played in the right spirit.
The much-anticipated India-Pakistan T20 clash will finally take place at Colombo on Sunday, following the Pakistan government's withdrawal of its earlier boycott call. However, whether the traditional handshakes between the teams will occur remains uncertain. Following the attack in Pahalgam in April last year and rising tensions between the two nations, the senior Indian men's cricket team had refrained from shaking hands with Pakistan players before or after matches throughout the Asia Cup 2025 trilogy.
This 'no handshake' trend continued in subsequent encounters between India and Pakistan in various ICC and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments, including the Asia Cup Rising Stars and the Under-19 Cricket World Cup matches.
Speaking ahead of the match in the pre-match presser, Agha said, "The game should be played in the same spirit. And what I expect, obviously, does not matter. But I feel that the game should be played the same way as it has been since the beginning of cricket. And the rest is up to them and whatever they want to do."
On the significance of the toss, Agha emphasised that it merely marks the start of the game and does not determine the outcome.
"At the end of the day, if you win or lose the toss, you will win the match only if you play good cricket. If you win the toss and do not play good cricket, or if you lose the toss and do not play good cricket, it doesn't matter. At the end of the day, the same things matter, how you play cricket. So, I think tomorrow, cricket will matter. I think toss is a way to start a game. You have to play good cricket. You have to execute your plans to win for 40 overs," he added. (ANI)
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