However, the ‘beautiful game’ of football isn’t going to see the absence of friendly exchanges between players, the two teams have confirmed. Ahead of the match, the coaches of both the teams and their captains were asked if handshakes would be exchanged between the players of the two teams, since friendly exchanges have been absent in certain other sports, especially cricket, for more than a year. As India and Pakistan square off against each other in the SAFF Cup 2026 match on Thursday, pleasantries are expected to be exchanged.
During the press conference, India’s Nathan Rodriguez was asked if his team would shake hands with Pakistani counterparts. His reply was in affirmative. Pakistan captain Alamgir Ghazi spoke on the same lines, saying his teammates feel the same way. “No, the same goes for us. It’s not cricket, it’s football. And that’s why it’s the beautiful game. Rather, it is motivation to give our best and put everything on the pitch. Hopefully, we can leave the field with a good result. We are a short squad, but we are fully prepared. We have come here to have a good competition, and I think the squad is ready to play. “We are going to face a different Pakistan team compared to the one we faced in the last SAFF Championship, and we are definitely prepared for that. We would certainly like to win the match. I don’t think there is any particular pressure. Hopefully, we can come away with a good result.
More importantly, the sport they are playing is football “the beautiful game” and not cricket. So yeah, we’ll do the same,” Ghazi said. Further speaking on the pressure of expectations, India captain Nathan Rodrigues said: “There is no pressure here.
