New Delhi: India’s Kabaddi team secured a convincing victory against Pakistan with a score of 81-26 at the 3rd Asian Youth Games.
The match drew attention not only for the action on the field but also for a pre-game incident, as Indian captain Ishant Rathee refused to shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart during the toss.
In this moment, the Pakistani captain reached out his hand, but pulled it back after noticing the Indian captain’s unresponsive reaction. However, after the match, both the teams exchanged handshakes in the customary manner.
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The Indian team maintained a strong showing throughout the tournament, having earlier defeated Bangladesh (83-19) and Sri Lanka (89-16).
Suryakumar-led India refused to shake hands with Pakistan during Asia Cup 2025
This incident is part of a recurring trend in recent India-Pakistan sports encounters. In the Asia Cup, Suryakumar Yadav’s cricket team also chose not to shake hands following their group stage match. The Indian women’s cricket team also declined to shake hands with Pakistan team in the 2025 Cricket World Cup.
These sporting events took place following the tensions between the two nations, which include Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 Indians. This trend of non-handshake protests was carried over into the Kabaddi match in Bahrain on October 20th.
Asian Youth Games is notable for featuring Kabaddi for the first time
The 2025 Asian Youth Games is notable for featuring Kabaddi for the first time in the event. Seven teams are competing in a round-robin format.
India currently leads the tournament stndings, remaining unbeaten in all three of their matches, with Iran in second place.
The tournament’s final match will be played on October 23rd. This win has reinforced India’s dominance in the tournament, highlighting their impressive performance in every match played so far.
