Following the completion of Match 3 of the Abu Dhabi T10 league 2025, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh slapped hands with Pakistani bowler Shahnawaz Dahani as part of the post-match chitchat. Currently leading Aspin Stallions in the ninth round of the competition, Singh gesture appears to have sparked controversy.
In light of the ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan as a result of the Pahalgam incident earlier this year, Harbhajan’s gesture was scrutinised online. Both the men’s and women’s Indian teams have refrained from shaking hands with Pakistan anytime they have faced them in a match after that incident.
Watch the handshake video with Harbhajan Singh here.
Harbhajan Singh handshake with Shahnawaz Dahani. Ab kahan gai patriotism indians ki. #AbuDhabiT10 @iihtishamm pic.twitter.com/4ZFfgP2ld3
— Ather (@Atherr_official) November 19, 2025
It’s interesting to note that Harbhajan and a few other former Indian cricket players declined to participate in the World Championship of Legends versus Pakistan. “Blood and sweat cannot co-exist,” they all agreed. Following India’s easy victory in the semi-final, Pakistan advanced to the final thanks to Harbhajan and the other players’ boycott.
During the Asia Cup, the tendency of avoiding handshakes was first observed. In all three of the games played during the tournament in the United Arab Emirates, Suryakumar Yadav’s team did not shake hands with the opposition. This was the case at the Women’s World Cup and the recent Rising Stars Asia Cup match between the Pakistan Shaheens and India A.
Speaking about the November 19 T10 match that Harbhajan’s Stallions team lost by four runs at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. In their 10-over limit, they scored 110/7, while the Northern Warriors scored 114/1 in the first innings. In the one over he bowled, the Punjabi player gave up eight runs.
After achieving figures of 2/10 in a few overs, Dahani was declared the Player of the Match. He got rid of Tymal Mills (0 off 1) and Saif Hassan (15 off 11). On the last ball of the game, Harbhajan was run out for 1 off 1.
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