The Indian cricket squad will not shake hands with Pakistani players at today's ICC T20 World Cup group game in Colombo.  

The Indian squad did not shake hands with Pakistan during the Asia Cup last year, following 'Operation Sindoor,' as tensions between the two countries have remained high since hostilities began in May. In cricket, things have become worse.

According to the Indian Express, the team will maintain the status quo on the handshake tradition, with captain Suryakumar Yadav unlikely to extend his hand for the formal handshake with his Pakistani counterpart, Salman Agha, at the toss when the two teams face off on February 15 in Colombo.

The (non) handshake incident became a talking issue during the Asia Cup last year, dominating all talks whenever the two sides met.  

Following their victory in the final, the Indian team refused to accept the Asia Cup Trophy from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) head and Pakistan government's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi. The Indian squad is still waiting for the Asia Cup trophy, which Naqvi took away with him.

When India captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked about shaking hands with Pakistan players, the skipper refused to break the suspense, saying, “You will see in 24 hours. Wait for 24 hours. Eat well, sleep well, and we will see tomorrow,” he said.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Salman Agha had also spoken on the same lines when asked if his team would respond if India chose to shake hands. 

The decision to maintain the status quo hasn’t come as a surprise, as Pakistan threatened to boycott the T20 World Cup over Bangladesh’s exclusion for refusing to play in India. Then they threatened to boycott the India game until Bangladesh was compensated.

They only made a U-turn on their decision after Bangladesh was assured that no penalty would be levied on them, and they received one ICC event before 2031.

Furthermore, the Indian Express also reported that India is likely to make two changes to its playing XI, keeping the conditions and pitch in mind at the RPS Ground in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The first change is that Kuldeep Yadav is set to replace Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI, and Abhishek Sharma is likely to return to the fold, replacing Sanju Samson, after missing the game against Namibia.

After inspecting the ground, the squad opted to add another spinner to their lineup in the form of Kuldeep. The left-arm wrist-spinner could come in useful at the R. Premadasa Stadium, which has broad boundaries and generally favors spinners.

Kuldeep's performance versus Pakistan has also been excellent. He got eight wickets in three games against them during the 2025 Asia Cup.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav stated on Saturday that opener Abhishek Sharma will take the field against Pakistan on Sunday in Colombo. Soon after the captain confirmed, the opener geared up for a lengthy net session on the practice strips.

(Indian Express inputs)