ICC has advised both Pakistan and BCCI to abandon any existing plans of skipping handshakes between players and team staff in their upcoming match at ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup 2025, PTI reported.
On December 14, India’s Under-19 team, which includes batsmen like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and captain Ayush Mahatre, will face Pakistan’s Under-19 team in Dubai.
A BCCI official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The boys haven’t been told anything. But obviously BCCI has given explicit instructions to its manager Anand Datar. Now if Indian boys don’t shake hands with Pakistan team then match referee will have to be informed in advance. We know for a fact that ICC doesn’t want politics to take front seat when it comes to junior cricket. So it is a case of both bad optics and public sentiment.
No Handshake Saga
The no-handshake saga emerged between India and Pakistan during the Asia Cup in September 2025, and the reason was the Pahalgam attack, due to which India refused to shake hands with the Pakistani team in all three matches during the tournament.
What initially was meant to be a symbolic gesture in the senior tournament, eventually passed off to be a complete controversy. The PCB made a formal complaint to the ACC citing the actions of India to be against the spirit of the game, with Indian officials claiming it was a question of principle and even security rather than dislike. The pictures of players passing each other without shaking hands immediately became viral and divided the audience of fans, former cricketers, and commentators.
It is at this juncture that with the Under-19 match at Dubai the ICC is evidently attempting to prevent a similar drama in the junior levels. To most people, this is not a game of young people trying to fulfill their dreams, but one of political baggage on their shoulders. The fact that both boards completely implement the advice or attempt to take a middle ground such as restricting the activity to formal procedures, will tell a lot on the way these boards view the future of India and Pakistan cricket in multi-nation events.
