The Asia Cup 2025 saw the India and Pakistan cricket teams avoid on-field pleasantries as the Men in Blue avoided handshakes with their rivals in all three of their encounters.
Pakistan, in turn, boycotted press conferences and ACC and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi even refused to hand over the winner's trophy to the Indian team, after Suryakumar Yadav and Co. made it clear that they won't accept the silverware from Naqvi.
A similar gesture was seen during the recent Women's World Cup clash, where India and Pakistan captains avoided shaking hands during toss and after the match.
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Pakistan did not even travel to their neighbouring nation for the World Cup, despite it being held in India as they are playing their matches in Colombo.
Even Pakistan's senior Hockey side boycotted the Asia Cup last month, which was held in Rajgir, Bihar as they did not want to send their players to India.
Finally, the two nations are set to lock horns in the field of Hockey as the junior teams of the two nations are taking part in the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia.
The rival countries are set to lock horns in the tournament for the first time on Tuesday. Ahead of the big-ticket clash, the burning question remains whether the players of the two countries will shake hands.
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Will IND and PAK players shake hands in Hockey match?
Neither side has yet confirmed whether the youth teams will do a handshake before the game, but Pakistan Hockey Federation advised their colts to avoid any confrontation on the field.
A PHF source told PTI: "The players have been told that if the Indian players don’t shake hands before or after the match, just ignore the gesture and move on. They have also been told to avoid any emotional tussles or signs during the game."
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