Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai
Dubai, Dec 14: The long-standing ‘no handshake’ stance between India and Pakistan cricket teams extended to the Under-19 level on Sunday as the two sides faced off in a group-stage match of the Men’s U19 Asia Cup at the ICC Academy Ground.
At the toss, neither India captain Ayush Mhatre nor Pakistan skipper Farhan Yousaf made any move to exchange the customary greetings. After Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl first, both captains conducted their respective interviews and walked back to their dugouts without acknowledging each other.
The gesture mirrors the approach adopted by the Indian senior men’s team during the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025, where handshakes were avoided in all three encounters against Pakistan. India had also declined to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister. The same protocol was later followed by India women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur during the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup.
Turning to the on-field action, rain shortened the contest to 49 overs per side. Pakistan, after winning the toss, elected to field first. India found themselves under pressure early and were placed at 114 for 4 after 20 overs.
India entered the match brimming with confidence after a dominant start to the tournament. In their opening fixture, they demolished UAE by a massive 234-run margin, posting a record-breaking total of 433 for 6 — the highest-ever score in Men’s U19 Asia Cup history.
Teen prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi starred with a sensational 171, while Aaron George and Vihaan Malhotra chipped in with well-crafted 69s. Useful contributions from Vedant Trivedi (38), Abhigyan Kundu (32) and Kanishk Chouhan (28) completed the onslaught. The total surpassed India’s previous best U19 ODI score of 425 for 3 against Scotland in 2004 and stands as the third-highest team total in men’s U19 one-day cricket.
Pakistan, meanwhile, also began their campaign in emphatic fashion, crushing Malaysia U19 by 297 runs in their tournament opener.