Will India’s U19 Team Shake Hands With Pakistan Players? BCCI Gives Strict Instructions After ICC Urges IND, PAK To End No-Handshake Dispute

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly urged India to end the handshake boycott during the game against Pakistan. As a mark of solidarity with the Indian Army and victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian men’s team had refused to shake hands with their Pakistan players during all three matches in the Asia Cup last September. The Women’s ODI World Cup and Rising Stars Asia Cup T20 tournament followed the same rule during their respective matches.

According to a PTI report, the ICC is keen that the players from both ends should shake hands but the final call rests with BCCI. The report further added that if India continues to go ahead with the no-handshake policy, the match referee has to be informed before hand. 

“The boys haven’t been told anything. But obviously BCCI has given explicit instructions to its manager Anand Datar. Now if Indian boys don’t shake hands with Pakistan team then match referee will have to be informed in advance. “We know for a fact that ICC doesn’t want politics to take front seat when it comes to junior cricket. So it is a case of both bad optics and public sentiment,” a BCCI official in the know of things told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

India and Pakistan will be up against each other in the U19 Aisa Cup on Sunday during their Group A match. In the first match against UAE U19, Vaibhav Suryavanshi took on the bowling attack and hammered a mammoth 171 off 95 deliveries, a knock decorated with 14 maximums and 9 fours. 

Also Read: Vaibhav Suryavanshi Rewrites U19 Records For IND With Breaking Century In Just 56 Balls vs UAE