Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh briefly broke away from the continued no-handshake pattern between India and Pakistan gamers when he shared a heat second with Pakistan quick bowler Shahnawaz Dahani throughout the Abu Dhabi T10 League on November 19. The trade came about proper after Harbhajan’s group, Aspin Stallions, narrowly misplaced to Northern Warriors by 4 runs on the Zayed Cricket Stadium.
The handshake and smiles between Harbhajan and Dahani shortly caught widespread consideration on-line, particularly as a result of it got here throughout a interval when cricketers from each nations have averted the standard post-match greeting. The avoidance started after the Pahalgam assault earlier this yr, an incident that heightened political pressure and consequently affected cricketing interactions. Since then, groups throughout India’s males’s, ladies’s and junior ranges have constantly skipped handshakes at a number of tournaments.
Hypocrisy
Harbhajan himself had beforehand taken a robust stance. In mid-2025, he, together with former Indian stars Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina and the Pathan brothers, pulled out of a World Championship of Legends conflict in opposition to Pakistan. They cited nationwide sentiment as the rationale, and their withdrawal led to India Champions conceding the semifinal.
Wednesday’s transient interplay, nonetheless, supplied a softer second amid that backdrop. Dahani, who sealed the Warriors’ win with a superb spell of two for ten, walked as much as Harbhajan following the ultimate supply. The Stallions captain acknowledged him with a handshake and a short chat. Earlier within the match, Harbhajan had delivered a tidy over that went for eight runs earlier than being run out for one throughout the chase.
Reactions on social media mirrored a mixture of appreciation and criticism, with many highlighting how uncommon the gesture felt within the present local weather.
About Match
The match itself remained carefully contested all through. Northern Warriors put up 114 for one, and regardless of late resistance from the Stallions, they completed at 110 for seven. Dahani’s management on the loss of life ensured each the win and the Participant of the Match honour. Whereas handshake avoidance has grow to be a well-recognized sight ever for the reason that Asia Cup fallout; a pattern additionally carried into the Girls’s World Cup and the Rising Stars Asia Cup there have been exceptions. One such occasion got here throughout the Girls’s T20 World Cup for the Blind on November 16, the place groups shared lighter moments and exchanged transient greetings.
Harbhajan and Dahani’s small gesture could not instantly shift the broader sample, but it stood out as a reminder that non-public respect can floor even amid intense rivalries and strained political realities.