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India A, led by Jitesh Sharma, skipped handshakes with Pakistan Shaheens at the Rising Stars Asia Cup amidst ongoing cricket tensions.
Jitesh Sharma and Irfan Khan at the toss (Picture credit: ACC)
The India A team, led by Jitesh Sharma, skipped handshakes with their Pakistan counterparts at the beginning of their group stage game at the Rising Stars Asia Cup, continuing a tradition where Indian and Pakistan cricket teams have let go of customary pleasantries over the last two months.
Both team went their separate ways after the national anthems. Pakistan Shaheens, led by Irfan Khan, won the toss and opted to field first.
Two months ago at the Asia Cup, India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav avoided a handshake with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha as a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.
The attack, which took place in April, killed 26 people and led to a cross-border skirmish between India and Pakistan. Since then, the two countries haven’t looked eye-to-eye as political issues continued.
Jitesh, who served as the second wicketkeeper in that tournament and now leads India A, followed his seniors’ stance by opting not to shake hands with Pakistan Shaheens skipper Irfan at the toss.
With India-Pakistan cricketing relations at a low point, tensions rose further when Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi declined to present the Asia Cup winner’s trophy to Suryakumar in Dubai.
The Indian men’s team had declined to accept the trophy from a Pakistan representative.
Meanwhile, the Rising Stars final is all set for Sunday, November 23, in Doha, with Asian Cricket Council president Naqvi expected to attend as the chief guest at the closing ceremony.
According to a report in Geo TV, concerns have been raised that a trophy-related controversy may arise after a similar situation in the senior tournament.
India had declined to receive the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi. The trophy remains with the ACC, which has now offered India an opportunity to collect it at a formal event.
November 16, 2025, 21:33 IST
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