When Pakistan and India walk onto a cricket field, the world doesn’t just see a game — it sees history, rivalry, and politics wrapped up in a single contest. But on September 14 at the Asia Cup in Dubai, something as simple as a handshake — or rather the lack of it — managed to steal the spotlight from the cricket itself.
It began at the toss. Traditionally, captains exchange a handshake before the game starts. This time, though, there was only silence and stiff body language. No handshake. Players got on with the match, but the moment didn’t go unnoticed.
After India’s convincing seven-wicket victory, fans expected the usual show of sportsmanship at the end. Pakistan’s players and their captain, Agha Salman, waited near the boundary ropes. The Indian squad, led by Rohit Sharma, walked off. No handshakes. No acknowledgment. Just a quiet exit.
Pakistan’s head coach Mike Hesson later told reporters the team was prepared to line up for the handshake, but by the time they got there, India was already gone. “We were ready, but the Indian team had left,” he explained, sounding visibly frustrated.
The Pakistan Cricket Board didn’t take it lightly. They lodged a formal protest, arguing that skipping such a basic gesture went against the spirit of the game. “A handshake is not just about courtesy; it’s about respecting the sport and your opponents,” a PCB official said.
The controversy deepened when reports emerged that match referee Andy Pycroft may have instructed both sides to avoid handshakes to minimize tension. The PCB insists that was indeed the case, but ICC sources have offered mixed explanations, leaving the situation murky.
For many fans, though, the incident is less about technicalities and more about what it symbolizes. In the fraught world of India-Pakistan cricket, even small rituals carry heavy meaning. A missed handshake feels like a missed opportunity — a moment that could have shown grace amid rivalry but instead underscored the chill between the two nations.
Social media, unsurprisingly, has exploded with debate. Indian supporters argue their team was simply following instructions, while Pakistani fans accuse India of disrespect. Neutral observers are left wondering how something so routine could turn into yet another flashpoint.
As the Asia Cup moves forward, the cricket itself will reclaim the headlines. But the image that lingers from Dubai isn’t of runs scored or wickets taken. It’s of two teams walking past each other, hands firmly by their sides, leaving the handshake — and what it stands for — behind.
