U-19 Asia Cup: ICC urges India, Pakistan to end no-handshake deadlock

Explosive batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi will once again be under the spotlight as India’s U-19 team begins its Asia Cup campaign on Friday in Dubai, taking on hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE). But the real point of discussion will come on Sunday, when India face Pakistan at the ICC Academy Ground—specifically, whether the BCCI will allow the continuation of the no-handshake policy in that match despite the ICC’s preference to keep politics away from youth cricket.

The Indian men’s team had refused to shake hands with Pakistani players in all three of their encounters during the Asia Cup last September, in solidarity with the Indian Army and the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. The same approach was later followed by the Indian women’s team during the Women’s ODI World Cup and the Rising Stars Asia Cup T20.

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However, for the U-19 category, the ICC is reportedly keen on maintaining standard match protocols and ensuring that political gestures do not overshadow the spirit of the game. According to reports, the BCCI has issued clear instructions to India’s team manager Anand Datar regarding the handshake matter. Should India choose to stick to the no-handshake rule, the match referee must be notified beforehand.

“The boys have not been told anything yet. But the BCCI has given specific directions to manager Anand Datar. If the Indian players do not shake hands with Pakistan, the match referee will need to be informed in advance. The ICC does not want politics dominating junior cricket. It’s a matter of optics and public sentiment,” a BCCI official said.