ICC urges India, Pakistan to end no-handshake deadlock in Sunday’s U-19 Asia Cup match; BCCI gives strict instructions

As a mark of solidarity with the Indian Army and victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian men's team had refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during all three encounters in the Asia Cup last September. The Women's ODI World Cup and Rising Stars Asia Cup T20 tournament followed the same rule during their respective matches against Pakistan.
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However, when it comes to U19 cricket, a report by the news agency PTI revealed that the ICC is keen to keep politics out of it and wants the normal protocols to be followed in the spirit of cricket. The final call rests with BCCI, who has instructed India’s team manager Anand Datar to follow its explicit directive regarding the no-handshake situation. The report added that if India still chooses to go ahead with the no-handshake policy, the match referee must be informed in advance.
"The boys haven't been told anything. But obviously BCCI has given explicit instructions to its manager Anand Datar. Now if Indian boys don't shake hands with Pakistan team then match referee will have to be informed in advance.
"We know for a fact that ICC doesn't want politics to take front seat when it comes to junior cricket. So it is a case of both bad optics and public sentiment," a BCCI official in the know of things told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
India and Pakistan are expected to qualify for the semifinal round of the tournament, given that the two sides have been grouped with Malaysia and the UAE, who lack extensive experience playing 50-over cricket, in Group A. For India, Suryavanshi and captain Ayush Mhatre head into the tournament following a great run of form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. While Mhatre played a massive role in the group league stages with back-to-back centuries and a fifty, Suryavanshi became the youngest player in SMAT history to hit a century, against Maharashtra.