By Karunesh Kumar
New Delhi [India], October 15 : Handshakes took place between India and Pakistan Hockey players as they took to the field for their Sultan of Johor clash in Malaysia on Sunday. Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion and MMA fighter Sangram Singh believes that whether to shake hands with opponents or not depends on the team's strategy and the coach's decision in this incident.
He further mentioned that Indian players shook hands with Pakistan players for the first time after Operation Sindoor, noting that not shaking hands with them earlier was a form of protest.
This comes after India's men's and women's cricket teams did not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the Asia Cup and the ongoing ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, which is being hosted by India. Pakistan is playing all its matches in Colombo.
The trend, started by Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, had not gone well against Pakistan's men's team, who filed a complaint against match-referee Andy Pycroft and removed him from the officials' roster for violation of the ICC Code of Conduct and 'Spirit of Cricket'.
While speaking to ANI, Sangram Singh said, "The decision to shake hands or not depends on the team's strategy and the coach's call. If the management makes a decision, the players follow protocol. This was our first handshake with Pakistan after Operation Sindoor; previously, not shaking hands was a form of protest. While we uphold sportsmanship, we also respect our team's decisions. The coach and management discussed it, and shaking hands was the outcome. And I also believe India is much ahead of Pakistan in sports now."
However, on Ashley Morrison Media's YouTube channel, where the India and Pakistan match in the Sultan of Johor Cup clash was being live-streamed, some players from both teams could be seen shaking hands with their opponents. Both teams went on to play a 3-3 draw.
Both sides pressed hard in the final minutes in search of a winner, but neither could break the deadlock, and the thrilling encounter ended in a 3-3 draw. India will next play Australia on 15th October at 1805 hours IST.