Will India continue no-handshake policy against Pakistan? BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia issues big statement

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has signaled that India’s no-handshake policy with Pakistan is expected to persist, with secretary Devajit Saikia stating that the geopolitical climate between the two countries is still "not conducive" for regular on-field interactions. Saikia’s remarks come in light of ongoing disputes regarding India’s refusal to engage in handshakes with Pakistani players at recent ICC and ACC events.

During the Asia Cup two months prior, India’s senior team avoided handshakes with Pakistan’s cricketers in all three of their encounters, including the final.

There were no handshakes at the toss or following the matches, and this same strategy seems to have extended into the Rising Stars tournament. Even the women’s teams refrained from shaking hands at the World Cup.

In an interview with RevSportz, Saikia was questioned about whether India might reconsider its position in the future, particularly after several instances where Indian teams, including senior men, women, and A squads, have bypassed handshakes with Pakistani players.

“I am not an astrologer. I cannot predict anything. Everything is dependent on the geopolitical situation. The situation is not very conducive till now. Tomorrow I do not know,” Saikia said.

The unresolved matter regarding the Asia Cup trophy adds to the existing tension. After clinching the tournament, India allegedly declined to accept the winner’s trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), in Dubai. Consequently, Naqvi departed the stadium with the trophy, which is now housed at the ACC headquarters.

“This is an unfortunate situation which has been going on since the final of the Asia Cup in Dubai. We hope the trophy will come back to India as soon as possible. In the ICC meeting, I personally met the ACC president on the sidelines. There were positive discussions and very soon we hope that a solution will emerge to close this chapter,” Saikia said.

With no bilateral series on the horizon and political tensions shaping cricketing protocols, interactions between India and Pakistan are limited to ICC and ACC tournaments. The no-handshake policy serves as a stark reminder of the diplomatic freeze that affects sporting behavior.

As Saikia emphasized, any potential changes in the near future hinge entirely on geopolitics, and for now, the symbolic act of a handshake will remain off-limits.

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