WATCH | Rohit Sharma breaks 'no handshake’ trend, hugs Pakistan's Wasim Akram before IND-PAK tie

Former Indian captain Rohit Sharma was present in Colombo for the marquee India-Pakistan T20 World Cup group game alongside Pakistani legend Wasim Akram, with the two sharing warm greetings sometime before the game got underway. The two cricket icons hugged amid the ‘no handshake’ policy deployed by the Indian Team against Pakistan. While India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav maintained the team’s stance of not honouring the unsaid yet compulsory handshake ritual at the toss and after the game, Rohit and Akram seemed unfazed by the BCCI’s directives in India-Pakistan matches.

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Meanwhile, ahead of the showdown tie in Colombo between the two arch-rivals, the two captains shared their thoughts on the handshake saga. On the one hand, Pakistani captain Salman Ali Agha hoped that the ‘spirit of the game’ would take precedence during this high-octane clash; on the other, Suryakumar Yadav kept everyone guessing whether he would maintain the stance or break the ice to honour it.

"The game should be played in that spirit of cricket," Pakistan captain Agha said ahead of the India match in the T20 WC. "What I expect doesn't matter. But I do feel the game should be played in the way it has been played since cricket started. Rest is up to them [India], whatever they want to do."

Indian captain SKY said it’s not the most important thing, and that cricket should be discussed instead. "Wait for 24 hours, no."

"Why are you [speculating] now? We have come here to play cricket, we'll play good cricket. We will take the call [on handshake] later. Dine well, sleep,” he continued.

What happened at the toss and during the game?

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav maintained the team's stance and chose not to shake hands with his counterpart, and the Indian team followed suit after the match.

Pakistani captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and decided to bowl first, a decision that felt off, considering the team batting first often wins at this venue. However, moving to the game, India got off to a shaky start, with Abhishek Sharma falling on a four-ball duck. Ishan Kishan saved his team’s grace with a brilliant 77 before handy contributions from SKY and the lower-order propelled India to 175 for seven in 20 overs.

The chase was always going to be tricky for Pakistan, and it unfolded likewise, with the Men in Green losing three wickets within the first two overs. Babar Azam also departed inside the Powerplay before a flurry of wickets dented Pakistan’s momentum. Keeper-batter Usman Khan fought a lone battle before Pakistan got bundled out on 114 in 18 overs, losing this crucial tie by 61 runs.

With this win, India qualified for the Super 8s, becoming only the second team after West Indies to advance to the next round.