India and Pakistan will meet for Asian Games cricket gold on Saturday, bringing the unresolved question of whether the two teams will shake hands back into focus after India’s recent approach in matches between the rivals. According to PTI, there is currently no clarity over whether the customary gesture will take place, with the final being staged within a different institutional framework from the cricket tournaments in which India has maintained its no-handshake position.
The Associated Press has separately reported that handshakes between the teams are unlikely. India’s men’s and women’s cricketers have avoided exchanging handshakes with their Pakistani counterparts in recent competitions, making the protocol surrounding Saturday’s final another closely watched element of the latest India-Pakistan contest.
Asian Games creates a different setting
India’s no-handshake approach with Pakistan has been maintained across Asian Cricket Council and International Cricket Council events since Operation Sindoor last year, as a show of solidarity with the Indian armed forces. The Asian Games, however, is organised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), creating a different sporting environment for the two teams.
Neither OCA nor International Olympic Committee (IOC) regulations make handshakes compulsory, although the gesture forms part of customary sporting conduct. Previous international sporting competitions have also produced instances in which athletes declined to shake hands amid geopolitical tensions.
At the 2016 Olympics, Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby declined to shake hands with Israeli opponent Or Sasson. The IOC reprimanded El Shehaby over fair play and the spirit of friendship, although it did not impose a fine, and he was subsequently sent home by his own team. Ukrainian competitors have also declined handshakes with Russian and Belarusian athletes during the ongoing war.
Other Indian athletes have exchanged handshakes
Cricket’s approach at the Asian Games contrasts with interactions between India and Pakistan in other sports at the competition. Indian and Pakistani competitors have exchanged customary handshakes in both table tennis and squash.
The cricket teams will also share the medal podium regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s final. India’s women experienced a similar situation after winning Asian Games gold last week, sharing the podium with bronze medallists Pakistan despite the two sides not meeting during the tournament. Sri Lanka claimed silver.
The decision over the Indian men’s cricket team’s handshake protocol is expected to be taken by BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia after his arrival in Nagoya for the final. ICC Chairman Jay Shah is also expected to attend the match.
India and Pakistan book gold-medal showdown
India reached the final with a 124-run victory over Sri Lanka in Thursday’s semifinal. Ishan Kishan anchored the innings with an unbeaten 80 from 46 deliveries as India made 169 for seven, while 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi contributed an aggressive 38.
Sri Lanka’s chase unravelled immediately, with its top three batters dismissed without scoring. Jasprit Bumrah returned figures of two for seven, while Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Abhishek Sharma combined for five wickets as Sri Lanka was dismissed for 45 in 9.5 overs.
Pakistan secured its place in the final by beating Bangladesh by six wickets in a semifinal reduced to 13 overs per side because of a wet outfield. Bangladesh reached 111 for seven, led by Towhid Hridoy’s 42 from 25 balls, before Pakistan completed the chase. Abdul Samad finished unbeaten on 30 from 15 deliveries, while Sufyan Muqim had earlier taken three for 28.
Saturday’s final will therefore determine the Asian Games men’s cricket gold medal while also providing the first answer to whether India’s recent no-handshake approach against Pakistan will carry into a competition staged under the OCA.
