India-Pakistan cricket tensions flared up yet again on Sunday when India A and Pakistan Shaheens players skipped handshakes before their Asia Cup Rising Stars match.
Right after the national anthems, both teams turned away without acknowledging each other — a scene that instantly reminded fans of the seniors’ cold-shoulder moment in September.
Pakistan Shaheens won the toss and opted to field, but the real buzz was around the continued frostiness between the two sides.
The roots of this silent standoff go back to the Asia Cup earlier this year, when India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with Salman Ali Agha in solidarity with victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.
On Sunday, India A skipper Jitesh Sharma made it clear the message still stands, reinforcing how deep the rift has become.
All this unfolds as Indo-Pak cricket relations hit their lowest point in years. The tension escalated further after PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi declined to hand over the Asia Cup trophy to Suryakumar in Dubai — a moment the Indian team responded to by refusing to accept the trophy from a Pakistan representative.
With each incident, the cricketing chill only intensifies, and Sunday’s handshake snub is yet another sign that the standoff isn’t thawing anytime soon.