{"id":1357,"date":"2026-02-16T10:22:56","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T04:52:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/?post_type=news&#038;p=1357"},"modified":"2026-02-16T10:22:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T04:52:59","slug":"suryakumar-avoids-handshake-salman-agha","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/news\/suryakumar-avoids-handshake-salman-agha\/","title":{"rendered":"Suryakumar Avoids Handshake With Salman Agha"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">India captain Suryakumar Yadav once again avoided a handshake with Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha at the toss ahead of their <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/icc-t20-world-cup-2026-schedule\/\">ICC Men\u2019s T20 World Cup 2026<\/a> clash in Colombo on February 15.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The moment, though brief, quickly became one of the most discussed visuals of the high-profile encounter between the two arch-rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the toss ceremony at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Agha won the toss and chose to bowl first.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As both captains stepped forward to address the presenter, there was no customary handshake or visible interaction. Instead, each captain focused solely on outlining the team&#8217;s strategy and maintaining a strictly professional approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This development continues a pattern that first gained attention during the 2025 Asia Cup, when the Indian side adopted a similar no-handshake stance in matches against Pakistan.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue resurfaced in subsequent meetings, including youth-level tournaments, indicating that the approach was not an isolated incident but a consistent team decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the pre-match spotlight on the toss ceremony, the on-field contest was one-sided. India delivered a commanding performance to secure a 61-run victory, registering their third consecutive win of the tournament.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both teams had entered the fixture unbeaten, making the result a significant statement in Group A standings. India\u2019s clinical batting display, followed by disciplined bowling, ensured they maintained their dominance in the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the lead-up to the match, both captains had remained cautious when questioned about whether the traditional gesture would take place.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Agha expressed hope that the game would be played in the right spirit, while Suryakumar responded by asking fans to \u201cwait and watch,\u201d adding intrigue to the build-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the absence of a handshake drew widespread debate on social media and among fans, neither team officially commented on the matter after the game.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For now, the focus remains on cricketing performance rather than pre-match formalities, as India strengthened their campaign with another emphatic win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1358,"template":"","tags":[733,724,734,732],"ppma_author":[493],"class_list":["post-1357","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-handshake-controversy","tag-india-vs-pakistan","tag-salman-ali-agha","tag-suryakumar-yadav"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/1357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1357"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}