IND vs PAK, No Handshake Policy: In the T20 World Cup 2026, the teams of India and Pakistan faced each other in the group stage. In this match, Team India won in a one-sided manner, but during the match, the handshake controversy again came into limelight. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with the Pakistani captain at the time of the toss and even after the match, no handshake was seen between the two teams. Amidst all this, former English cricketer Alastair Cook has given a big statement on the no-handshake policy between India and Pakistan.
Alastair Cook’s shocking claim
Alastair Cook has said that not shaking hands on the field is just a show, because players keep talking in closed rooms. Cook made this claim while discussing with Michael Vaughan, David Lloyd and Phil Tufnell in the ‘Stick to Cricket’ podcast. He said, ‘Aren’t the players talking behind closed doors? I read somewhere that everyone is gossiping. It seems like it’s just for show, doesn’t it? On the actual field they are not shaking hands, but behind closed doors they are talking and everything is fine.
Let us tell you, Michael Vaughan expressed grief over this incident and said that not shaking hands on the cricket field is sad. However, Cook took it lightly and said that there is actually no enmity between the players. This statement has now come into discussion after the India-Pakistan match.
When did the no-handshake policy start?
The no-handshake policy started with the Asia Cup held in Dubai last year, where Indian players were prohibited from shaking hands with Pakistani players due to political tension. A total of 3 matches were played between the two teams during the Asia Cup 2025, but the players did not shake hands in all the three matches. Women’s cricket teams also continued this policy and something similar was seen in Under-19 cricket also. Now even in the T20 World Cup, both the teams were seen far apart.
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