Australian Players Mock India's 'No Handshake' Stance, Video Sparks Controversy

Australian Players Mock India's 'No Handshake' Stance:  A promo video for Australian sports streaming platform Kayo Sports is currently in the news. The video has since been deleted, but it has sparked a major controversy on social media. In it, Australian cricketers mocked India's 'no handshake' policy with Pakistan. This video, made in the context of the lack of handshakes during India-Pakistan matches, was criticized as insensitive on social media, leading to its removal.

Also Read: Prithvi Shaw Out for Duck on Maharashtra Ranji Debut Against Kerala

Australian sports platform Kayo Sports sparked a major controversy

The video, made for promotional purposes ahead of India's tour of Australia, featured Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and women's team player Grace Harris. The video begins with anchor Ian Higgins saying, "We know India is coming to our country, but we've discovered their biggest weakness." Co-host Sam Perry then gestures for a handshake, saying, "They're not particularly fond of the traditional greeting (handshake). So why don't we make them uncomfortable before the ball is bowled?"

AUS players pre-India clip mocks India no-handshake theatre vs Pak. Why Aussie media & players laughing at stance sold as national pride? @BCCI @JayShah @GautamGambhir @narendramodi @ICC @MithunManhas @vikrantgupta73 @rawatrahul9 @mufaddal_vohra @PadmajaJoshi @ShivAroor pic.twitter.com/lSbuyhEcui

— Maham Fazal (@MahamFazal_) October 14, 2025

The players then demonstrated their own alternative greetings—Glenn Maxwell and Fraser-McGurk attempted a fist bump, which went hilariously wrong. While women's players Grace Harris and Sophie Molineux imitated some extremely funny yet creative greetings. Captain Mitchell Marsh suggested the "finger in the ice cup" gesture—a famous celebration of World Cup-winning batsman Travis Head. Women's team captain Alyssa Healy invoked her famous "Healy Hands" gesture, which is very popular on social media.

Also Read: IND vs WI 2nd Test Day 5: Team India whitewashes West Indies, wins the series 2-0. Although the video was made for light-hearted entertainment, Indian fans on social media criticized it as insensitive. Kayo Sports removed the video amid growing backlash.

Video has been deleted now

Excitement has now increased for the upcoming white-ball series between India and Australia. Shubman Gill will captain the ODI team in this three-match ODI and three-match T20 series, which will also see the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Suryakumar Yadav will captain the T20 series, which begins in Canberra on October 29. In fact, Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with Pakistan in the Asia Cup. He later explained that this action was taken to pay tribute to the martyrs of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. After defeating Pak in the Asia Cup 2025, Suryakumar Yadav dedicated the victory to the Indian Army.

However, Pakistan filed a formal complaint with the ICC, calling this stance "political." In response, India also objected to the provocative actions (jet crashing and rifle mimicry) of Pakistani players Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan.

Summary

The controversy escalated further when, during the trophy ceremony, the Indian players refused to accept the trophy from ACC Chairman and Pakistan's Home Minister, Mohsin Naqvi. As a result, the trophy was removed from the stage without any formal ceremony.