ISLAMABAD: Australian cricketers have mocked India’s “no-handshake” policy with Pakistan during the Asia Cup 2025, playfully suggesting funny alternatives in a promo video .
The video showed players like Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, and Alyssa Healy joking about India’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistan.
In the clip, the anchors humorously pointed out India’s avoidance of traditional greetings, the anchor said “We’ve identified one critical weakness that they’re not big fans of the traditional greeting,” while mimicking a handshake. The Australian players then joined the joke with different gestures.
Australian right-hand batsmen Maxwell and Nathan Ellis made mock fist-and-palm gestures, while Healy wiggled her fingers in a teasing way. Spinner Sophie Molineux used an “Italian salute” and even flipped the middle finger. Marsh suggested a “finger in the ice cup” gesture, and others added ideas like “healing hands” and “salt on the popcorn.” Hazlewood ended by joking, “What about the shooter?” causing laughter all around.
Though the original video was taken down, clips are still circulating on social media. The incident reminded fans of the Asia Cup “handshake saga,” when Indian players skipped post-match handshakes with Pakistan on several occasions during the Asia Cup 2025.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) later confirmed that Pycroft described the incident as a “miscommunication” and issued an apology. The ICC expressed readiness to investigate the recurring incidents.
India is set to tour Australia for three ODIs and five T20Is starting October 19, before returning home to host South Africa for a Test and limited-overs series.
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