Indian hockey team breaks silence on handshake with Pakistan in Sultan of Johor Cup; ‘we didn't see them as enemies’

At a time when the Indian cricket teams (men and women) chose not to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts in honour of the Pahalgam terror attacks (that killed 26 innocent lives on April 22), everyone expected the Indian junior hockey team to follow the same routine in the recently-concluded Sultan of Johor Cup 2025 in Malaysia.

Handshakes in sports are usually meant as a gesture for maintaining sportsman spirit between the rivals on the field, courts, etc. But the recent India-Pakistan border conflict has made handshakes a point of political debate. On October 14, the likes of Gurjot Singh, Manmeet Singh, Sourabh Anand Kushwaha, Ankit Pal, Roshan Kujur shattered that narrative.

Instead, the Indian players greeted their Pakistan rivals and also shared high-fives as they ran onto the ground, choosing unity over rivalry. “It wasn’t like we were told not to shake hands. As players, we all play with hard work and dedication, and we didn't see them as enemies or anything like that. That's why we shook hands.

"They’re players just like us,” Roshan Kujur, who was a part of the Indian team that played Pakistan in the Sultan of Johor Cup 2025, told TOI. Despite leading 3-2, India conceded a late goal to finish the game 3-3. While India finished runners-up after losing to champions Australia in the final, Pakistan finished fourth.

When did India's “no handshake” stance start?

India's stance of not shaking hands with Pakistan started in Dubai when Suryakumar Yadav and his men chose not to during their group stage encounter in the Asia Cup 2025 on September 14. A similar story followed in the following two Sundays as India played Pakistan on two more occasions - Super 4 stage and in the final.

The “no handshake” row didn't stop there as the Indian women's team led by Harmanpreet Kaur followed suit in the ongoing ICC Women's World Cup 2025 in Colombo on October 5.

PHF withdraws from Asia Cup, Junior World Cup

It must also be noted that due to the strained relations between the two countries, the Pakistan Hockey Federation withdrew its teams for the senior men's Asia Cup and the Junior Men's World Cup, both of which India is hosting. India reigned supreme in the Asia Cup (which served as FIH 2026 World Cup qualifier) in Rajgir last month.

The Junior Hockey Word Cup will be held in Tamil Nadu from November 28 to December 10.

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