Pakistan captain says it is up to India to decide whether to shake hands at the T20 World Cup

Colombo, Sri Lanka — Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has placed the onus on India to decide whether the two teams will exchange the traditional pre- and post-match handshakes when they meet in Sunday’s T20 World Cup clash at the Premadasa Stadium.

The fixture, already billed as the tournament’s marquee attraction, carries the weight of recent history after last year’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates ended with players from both sides refusing to shake hands. India went on to win that tournament, then declined to accept the trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi, deepening the diplomatic chill that has long surrounded encounters between the neighbours.

Speaking on the eve of the match, Agha said cricket’s spirit should speak for itself. “The game should be played in real spirit, the way it has been played since it started. The rest is up to them (India), what they want to do,” he told reporters.

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, whose rebuff of Agha’s handshake in the Asia Cup became a flashpoint of that event, sidestepped the issue. “Why are you highlighting that?” he asked when pressed on the prospect of a renewed snub. “We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow.”

Political tensions nearly kept Pakistan off the field altogether. The Pakistan government threatened to boycott the World Cup after the ICC expelled Bangladesh for refusing to play fixtures in India on security grounds. Islamabad only relented after marathon negotiations with the governing body, mindful that an India-Pakistan contest guarantees the ICC its single largest payday of the tournament.

Once the focus shifts to cricket, the numbers tilt heavily in India’s favour. India has defeated Pakistan 12 times in 16 T20 internationals and holds a 6-1 record in eight T20 World Cup meetings, with one tie. Agha acknowledged the ledger but struck an optimistic note. “We don’t have a good record against them in World Cups,” he said. “But whenever you come to play a new match, it’s a new day and you have to play good cricket to win. You can’t change history. You can learn from it.”

Suryakumar echoed the sentiment, insisting past dominance will not be allowed to breed complacency. Both camps also fielded questions on peripheral issues. Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq, whose action features a brief pause at the point of delivery, has again drawn scrutiny from Indian media, but Agha defended his teammate. “The guy has been cleared twice and he has done whatever the ICC said,” he stated. “He doesn’t care about that because he’s very used to this stuff.”

India, meanwhile, await news on explosive opener Abhishek Sharma, who sat out the group-stage win over Namibia with a stomach infection. His availability will be determined on match morning.

With tickets sold out within minutes and broadcasters anticipating a global audience in the hundreds of millions, Sunday’s contest is less a game than a geopolitical event. Whether the players shake hands or not, the eyes of two cricket-mad nations will be fixed on every ball.

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