No-Handshake Policy Against Pakistan To Continue? BCCI Says: "Not An Astrologer"
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that the no-handshake policy is expected to continue on the cricket field as the geopolitical situation between the two countries is not 'conductive'.
- BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that the no-handshake policy is expected to continue on the cricket field
- Indian men's and women's teams avoided handshakes with Pakistan counterparts in Asia Cup and World Cup matches
- "I am not an astrologer. I cannot predict anything," Saikia said
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia said that the no-handshake policy is expected to continue on the cricket field as the geopolitical situation between the two countries is not 'conducive'. Indian cricket team skipper Suryakumar Yadav sparked controversy by not shaking hands with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha during the Asia Cup 2025 and even though the two teams faced each other three times during the competition, the players of the two teams did not exchange any pleasantries.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side followed suit during the Women's ODI World Cup and India A skipper Jitesh Sharma also did not shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart during the ongoing Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament.
In a recent interaction, Saikia was asked whether India will make any changes to their stance and he gave a clear reply.
"Â I am not an astrologer. I cannot predict anything. Everything is dependent on the geopolitical situation. The situation is not very conducive till now. Tomorrow I do not know," Saikia told RevSportz.
Saikia also opened up about the situation surrounding the Asia Cup trophy. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side refused to accept the winner's trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi and they have still not received the trophy.
“This is an unfortunate situation which has been going on since the final of the Asia Cup recently in Dubai. We hope the trophy will come back to India as soon as possible. In the ICC meeting, I personally met (ACC president) on the sidelines of the board meeting," Saikia said.
“We had several meetings and in that meeting, the ICC chairman was also present. But not in the main meeting. When the meeting was over, we met at the same venue and there were some positive discussions, positive signs and very soon we hope that a solution will come out to close this chapter," Saikia added.Â
India Cricket Team
Pakistan Cricket Team