India’s U19 side continued to follow the no-handshake approach that the senior team adopted after the Pahalgam terror attack during the Asia Cup 2025. Captain Ayush Mhatre chose not to shake hands with Pakistan skipper Farhan Yousaf at the toss during the match at the ICC Cricket Academy on Sunday, December 14.
India and Pakistan are playing their second Group A match of the U19 Asia Cup. Both teams opened the tournament with huge victories. India crushed the UAE by a 234-run margin, while Pakistan swept aside Malaysia with an even bigger win by 297 runs, setting up a highly anticipated clash between the two rivals.
Before the big U19 match between India and Pakistan, a PTI report revealed that the International Cricket Council (ICC) wanted India to drop its no-handshake policy. The ICC felt that youth cricket should stay free from political issues.
India adopted the no-handshake rule during the senior Asia Cup in Dubai as a show of support for the Indian Army and the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. The same approach was followed later in the Women’s ODI World Cup and the Rising Stars Asia Cup whenever India played Pakistan.
The ICC shared its view but did not force India to change anything. Notably, the final decision belonged to the BCCI. The only condition was that the match referee must be informed ahead of time if India chose to continue with the policy.
India Maintain No-Handshake Policy During U19 Asia Cup Toss
India’s no-handshake stance was visible again during the U19 Asia Cup clash in Dubai, where Ayush Mhatre avoided a handshake with Pakistan skipper Farhan Yousuf at the toss.
Once the delayed toss finally took place, both captains moved straight to their broadcast duties rather than greeting each other in the usual manner. After Yousuf chose to bowl, the two captains kept their distance, exchanged only brief words with the presenter, and then walked away without making eye contact.
It is the sixth India–Pakistan matchup across ICC and ACC events since September, and in every one of those games, the Indian captain has maintained the no-handshake policy.
Toss Decision, Playing XI and Captain’s Reasoning
“We will bowl first. There is moisture on the pitch, and we want to utilise the opportunity. It is a normal game for me, so there is no pressure. I trust my bowlers. We want to restrict India to 200 runs,” Farhan Yousaf said.
“We would have bowled first because of the moisture. We will have to stick to our plans and bat well. We are confident, having won the match comfortably. It is a normal match for us as we have played enough cricket,” Ayush Mhatre said.
India U19: Ayush Mhatre(c), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Aaron George, Vihaan Malhotra, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu(w), Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Deepesh Devendran, Kishan Kumar Singh, Henil Patel
Pakistan U19: Usman Khan, Sameer Minhas, Ali Hassan Baloch, Ahmed Hussain, Farhan Yousaf(c), Hamza Zahoor(w), Huzaifa Ahsan, Niqab Shafiq, Abdul Subhan, Mohammad Sayyam, Ali Raza
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