Watch: Pakistan player attempts ugly handshake stunt, tries to forcefully strike Indian rival’s hand at Junior Davis Cup
Three days after India’s commanding 2-0 win over Pakistan in the Junior Davis Cup U16 tie in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, a fresh controversy has ignited conversation online; this time over an unsportsmanlike gesture caught on camera during the post-match handshakes. The Pakistan player (L) attempts to forcefully strike India player's hand(X)The Indian team, led by Prakash Sarran and Tavish Pahwa, had blanked Pakistan on May 24 in a fiercely competitive Group B encounter. Both players held their nerve in the super tie-break to win their respective singles rubbers and hand India a clean sweep over their arch-rivals. However, the drama didn’t end with the scoreline.A video that surfaced on social media three days later shows a Pakistani player shaking hands in a visibly disrespectful manner with an Indian counterpart. The footage captures the Pakistani junior missing contact initially, then repeating the motion only to aggressively shake off the Indian player’s hand, an act that many online users labelled as deliberate and provocative.Watch:In stark contrast, the Indian junior maintained composure and walked away without responding, drawing praise for his calm demeanour and maturity.While tensions on a tennis court at the junior level are rarely viewed through a political lens, the incident occurred against the backdrop of heightened hostilities between India and Pakistan. Bilateral ties between the nations deteriorated following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead, most of them tourists.On May 7, in response to the attack, India launched airstrikes on nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, targeting facilities linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.India claimed the strikes were “measured, focused, and non-escalatory,” aimed strictly at terror infrastructure. Pakistan responded by launching drone strikes near Indian military posts, as well as over Indian cities along the border. The tit-for-tat exchanges continued for three days until both sides reportedly agreed to a mutual cessation of hostilities on May 10.Neither tennis federation has made an official comment on the handshake incident.
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