New Delhi: Indian and Pakistani players Tuesday exchanged handshakes and high-fives ahead of the Sultan of Johor Cup hockey tournament. The under-21 teams played each other in the third group-stage match of the tournament at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru district, Malaysia.
Following the national anthems, players from both sides greeted each other with handshakes. Many of them also exchanged high-fives and brief conversations.
The interaction comes only weeks after the Indian men’s cricket team refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the Asia Cup 2025. The Indian women’s cricket team followed suit.
Videos of the on-field interaction in Malaysia are circulating online, drawing equal parts of ire and praise. While some are lauding the sportsmanship displayed by players from both sides, others are bemoaning the interaction.
As a mark of protest against the terror attack in Pahalgam in April this year, the Indian men’s cricket team had refused to attend the presentation ceremony to collect their trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s federal minister of interior and the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Keeping with the tradition, the Indian women’s cricket team also skipped pleasantries with their Pakistani counterparts during the world cup match in Colombo.
According to media reports, the Pakistan Hockey Federation, following the handshake snubs, had issued instructions for the country’s under-21 team, advising them to avoid any confrontation with Indian players and focus on the game during the tournament.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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