IND vs PAK: Why didn’t Shreyas Iyer & Sahibzada Farhan shake hands with each other?
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Shreyas Iyer and Sahibzada Farhan are leading their respective teams in IND vs PAK Asian Games 2026 final.
The Asian Games 2026 final is being played at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. India will be keen to defend their gold medal, while Pakistan would want to win to improve their record against arch-rivals and finish with gold medal.
Both teams entered the final after winning their respective semi-finals. India defeated Afghanistan, while Pakistan beat Bangladesh to reach the gold medal match.
India captain Shreyas Iyer and Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan did not shake hands at the toss of the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket final on Saturday, October 3, in Nisshin, Japan.
The same approach was seen in later India-Pakistan matches. The players avoided the customary handshake, and the trend has now continued into the Asian Games 2026 final.
Why was there no handshake between Shreyas Iyer & Sahibzada Farhan in IND vs PAK Asian Games 2026 final?
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This no-handshake practice started during the Asia Cup 2025, which was the first India-Pakistan cricket meeting after the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025 and the military tensions that followed between the two countries.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav later said the team wanted to stand with the victims and their families. The same approach continued in later India-Pakistan meetings, including the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Shreyas Iyer and Sahibzada Farhan have also continued the same approach as BCCI’s and PCB’s no handshake policy continued.
The two captains acknowledged each other during the toss but did not shake hands. Iyer then won the toss and decided to bat first.
Why didn’t Shreyas Iyer and Sahibzada Farhan shake hands?
There is no official explanation from either captain for not shaking hands at the toss.
Who won the toss in the IND vs PAK Asian Games 2026 final?
India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first.
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