A senior BCCI official has said that shaking hands at the end of a cricket match is just a goodwill gesture, but with no such sense prevailing between India and Pakistan in the backdrop of the Pahalgam attack in April, the Indian players were not bound to extend the gesture.
According to a report in PTI, BCCI and the team management got into a huddle to discuss their stance as opposition parties in India and the social media erupted in protest against the game.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir, along with the senior players, decided against shaking hands at any point during the match. This decision wasn't made hastily but came after careful consideration and discussion.
It is important to note that Gambhir has been clear about his personal stance on playing against Pakistan: "No sporting ties as long as terror activities continue on Indian soil."
"Look, if you read the rule book, there is no specification about shaking hands with the opposition. It is a goodwill gesture and a sort of convention, not law, that is followed globally across the sporting spectrum," a senior BCCI official told PTI.
"If there is no law, then the Indian cricket team isn't bound to shake hands with an opposition with whom there is a history of a strained relationship," the official added.
During Sunday's India-Pakistan clash, the tension was so evident that even the team sheets were handed to match referee Andy Pycroft, bypassing the usual exchange between the skippers.
In fact, Pakistan team manager Naved Cheema, who had issued a protest statement in Urdu, claimed that it was Pycroft who instructed Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with Suryakumar Yadav.
Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see what stance Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates adopt during their Women's ODI World Cup match in Colombo this October.