Kamal Ghorui
Ahead of the high-voltage India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup clash, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has again stirred debate around the handshake controversy with a fresh remark. Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Agha said he hopes the game will be played in the right spirit but added a cryptic line about India’s stance: “I hope match will be played in a true sportsmanship.” If Indian team plans to shake hands, “We’ll find that out tomorrow,” he said, adding fuel to the ongoing narrative.
India reached Colombo on Friday to a festive welcome, with local dancers and drummers greeting the team at the airport. Arshdeep Singh caught everyone’s attention with his dance moves, while head coach Gautam Gambhir stayed focused and serious. Both teams will train separately on Saturday, with Pakistan practising in the afternoon and India in the evening. The ICC confirmed, “Pakistan will have a training session at the RPICS from 14h00 to 17h00 local time and hold a media interaction at the Press Conference Room starting around 13h45.” For India, “India will have a training session at the RPICS from 18h00 to 21h00 local time and hold a media interaction at the Press Conference Room starting around 17h30.”On the field, India will rely on key batters like Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, and either Abhishek Sharma or Sanju Samson. Abhishek is recovering from illness, while Arshdeep and Hardik have strong past records against Pakistan. With Sri Lankan pitches expected to assist spin, Varun Chakravarthy could play a crucial role.Earlier, Agha had criticised India’s refusal to shake hands during the Asia Cup, calling such actions bad for the game and young fans. He had said, “We don’t really feel hurt or anything like that. But, yeah, for the game is not good.” He also stressed that players are role models and should set the right example.
