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No Handshake: India, Pakistan Captains Skip Customary Gesture at Asian Games Final Toss
M
Moneycontrol•03-10-2026, 10:43
No Handshake: India, Pakistan Captains Skip Customary Gesture at Asian Games Final Toss
- •India captain Shreyas Iyer and Pakistan skipper Sahibzada Farhan did not exchange handshakes at the Asian Games final toss in Japan.
- •Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first in the gold-medal clash at Korogi Sports Park.
- •This marks another instance of the customary handshake being skipped between the two nations in cricket events.
- •The trend of no handshakes began at the 2025 Asia Cup and continued in subsequent tournaments like the Women’s World Cup and Under-19 Asia Cup.
- •In contrast, athletes from India and Pakistan have exchanged handshakes in other sports at the Asian Games, including table tennis and hockey.
Key Questions Answered
No, India captain Shreyas Iyer and Pakistan skipper Sahibzada Farhan did not exchange handshakes during the toss for the Asian Games final in Japan. Instead, Iyer won the toss and chose to bat first in the gold-medal clash.
The absence of the customary handshake began at the 2025 Asia Cup, following geopolitical tensions stemming from the Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent military retaliation. Since then, Indian cricket teams have consistently avoided handshakes with Pakistan across multiple tournaments.
No, unlike the cricket fixtures, Indian and Pakistani athletes in other sports at the Asian Games did exchange handshakes and greetings, such as during their matches in table-tennis and the hockey semi-final.
