Suryakumar deflects handshake question before Pakistan clash

India captain Suryakumar Yadav played down the question regarding the handshake with Pakistan ahead of their clash at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Speaking to the media ahead of the match, Suryakumar said everyone should wait 24 hours, take care of their diet, rest well, and see what the future brings.

“Wait for 24 hours. Eat well, sleep well, we will see tomorrow,” the Indian captain told reporters.

Suryakumar Yadav also responded lightheartedly to the remarks from Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha regarding opener Abhishek Sharma’s availability for the high-pressure encounter.

The explosive opener, Sharma, was unable to play in India’s fixture against Namibia due to illness.

“If Salman wants us to play Abhishek tomorrow, we shall play him,” he said.

Earlier, Salman Ali Agha said he hoped Abhishek Sharma would play in tomorrow’s game.

“I hope he plays tomorrow. I hope he’s recovering well,” said Agha. “We want to play against the best, good luck to him.”

Suryakumar also admitted that the Indian batting lineup failed to meet expectations in the opening game against the USA.

He further discussed the game’s intensity, noting that the lack of fixtures between the two nations also compounds the pressure.

“We had a scratchy start, we can’t run away from the fact. There’s no excuse. Everyone has played a lot of cricket, batters should have their own plans on a tricky wicket. We started well but had a hiccup, but then covered it well. It’s the beauty of T20 cricket,” he explained

“There’s always pressure. With India-Pakistan, it’s more of an occasion. No matter how much we say “it’s just any other game,” it’s a human tendency to be under pressure because it is not any other game. We don’t play them often, either. So the pressure is always there,” Suryakumar concluded.

For the unversed, the India-Pakistan handshake row stemmed from the Asia Cup 2025, where both teams refused to shake hands in three fixtures.

The handshake snub was due to the May 10 conflict between the two countries, which was on the verge of full-scale war following the Pahalgam attack.