In the Asian Games final held in Japan on Saturday, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer and his Pakistani counterpart Sahibzada Farhan opted not to shake hands during the toss. Iyer won the toss and chose to bat first.

This absence of the customary handshake has sparked discussions, especially whenever the two nations face each other in cricket. The final at Korogi Sports Park adds to a history that began during last year’s Asia Cup.

Since their encounters in the 2025 Asia Cup, India and Pakistan have refrained from the traditional handshake at tosses and after matches. This trend continued through various tournaments, including the Women’s World Cup, the Under-19 Asia Cup, and most recently, the Women’s Asia Cup in September 2026.

The strained relations between the two nations have been exacerbated by events such as the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025 and the subsequent military tensions. During the 2025 Asia Cup, the teams met on three occasions without exchanging handshakes at the toss or post-match. Additionally, India declined to accept the Asia Cup trophy from the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the president of the Asian Cricket Council.

This practice appears to be largely limited to cricket, as athletes from India and Pakistan in other sports at the ongoing Asian Games have continued to demonstrate sportsmanship through handshakes and friendly interactions. For example, table-tennis players from both countries greeted each other after their matches, and the hockey teams showed mutual respect during their semifinal encounter.

The situation has drawn remarks from the Pakistan Cricket Board as well. In December 2025, Naqvi stated that Pakistan would not pressure India into a handshake if it was unwanted, emphasizing that politics should remain separate from the sport.

Younger teams have also mirrored this trend. During the Under-19 Asia Cup in December 2025 and the Under-19 World Cup this year, the captains from both nations, Ayush Mhatre of India and Farhan Yousaf of Pakistan, similarly did not engage in a handshake at the toss.

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