Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has slammed India’s no-handshake coverage in opposition to Pakistan, describing it as a “foolish factor” and in opposition to the spirit of the sport.
For the reason that Asia Cup 2025, India kept away from exchanging post-match handshakes with Pakistan throughout males’s and girls’s age-group ranges.
With one other high-profile India-Pakistan conflict scheduled right this moment within the ICC Males’s T20 World Cup 2026, debate has resurfaced over whether or not Indian gamers will proceed the coverage.
Manjrekar termed the stance inappropriate and urged readability in strategy.
“This ‘no shaking palms’ is such a foolish factor that India has began. It is unbecoming of a nation like ours. Both play correctly throughout the spirit of the sport or do not play in any respect,” he wrote on his X.
On the pre-match press convention, India captain Suryakumar Yadav downplayed questions concerning the handshake concern, selecting to not elaborate.
“Wait for twenty-four hours. Eat properly, sleep properly, we are going to see tomorrow,” he advised reporters.
In the meantime, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha emphasised that cricket ought to be performed in the appropriate spirit and indicated his workforce’s willingness to observe custom.
“Cricket ought to be performed in the appropriate spirit. My private opinion could not matter, however cricket ought to be performed the way in which it has all the time been performed. It is as much as them to determine what to do,” Agha mentioned.
