Handshake saga on cricket field continues: India skipper Ayush Mhatre, Pakistani counterpart refuse gesture in Under-19 World Cup

The handshake saga on the cricket field continued when India Under-19 captain Ayush Mhatre did not acknowledge his Pakistani counterpart Farhan Yousuf in their World Cup clash at Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on Sunday.

Pakistan won the toss and asked India to bat first in the high-stakes game. With Australia, England and Afghanistan already booking spots in the semi-final, India battles it out with their arch-rival for an entry into the top-four.

While Pakistan needs to chase in 35 overs (assuming India scored 300 runs) to pip India's net run rate and advance to the next round, a win or a narrow defeat will be enough for India.

The handshake saga

This is not the first time Mhatre did not shake hands with his fellow captain when the same was followed in the match against Bangladesh in the tournament. This came after deteriorating diplomatic and cricketing relations following Mumhammad Yunus administration's anti-India stance.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had also cancelled the Indian Premier League (IPL) contract of Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman following backlash. This was followed by Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) refusal to send its team to India for the ICC T20 World Cup that starts next week.

Refusing to shake hands at the toss and post match has become a norm ever since India's T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to make the customary gesture wiith his counterpart Agha Salman in all three matches in the Asia Cup last year.

That tournament, played in September last year, came in the backdrop of high tension with Pakistan in May, following Operation Sindoor that India launched in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir.

The trend continued into the Women's World Cup, where Harmanpreet Kaur did not shake hands with the Pakistani skipper Fatima Sana.

Also, India A captain Jitesh Sharma also refused he refused to shake hands with Pakistan A skipper Irfan Khan during the Emerging Asia Cup.