Pakistan’s captain said he will leave it to India’s players to decide whether to shake hands with his team before and after their T20 World Cup match, News.Az reports, citing Sky News.
It comes amid political and military tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours who were on the brink of all-out war in May 2025.
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Sunday’s cricket match in Colombo, Sri Lanka, will be the first time the teams have met since an acrimonious clash last September at the Asia Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates, won by India.
On that occasion, players refused to shake hands.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said: “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 added: We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow (Sunday).”
Heightened tensions mean the two sides have not played a bilateral series in years.
Last May, the two nations clashed in the worst fighting in decades after a terror attack in India-administered Kashmir killed 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists.
