On a Toss and a Handshake: What a Cricket Gesture Reveals About the India–Pakistan Mood

Last night, at the Dubai toss before India vs Pakistan, a tiny ritual — a handshake — again became a headline. The match build-up and the live blog captured everything: Sahibzada Farhan’s fifty, Abhishek Sharma’s dropped chances, Hardik’s record and the ebb and flow of the game itself. But one moment kept returning in the conversation: Suryakumar Yadav once again skipped the customary handshake at the toss, and commentators, pundits and fans immediately replayed the handshake row that has shadowed this rivalry India vs Pakistan LIVE Score | NDTV.

"How is the mood?" — A seemingly light question that carries weight

When Ravi Shastri tossed a one-liner across the microphone and asked the Pakistan captain, "How is the mood?" it felt at once theatrical and revealing. In sport, small gestures and lines are often staged to lighten tension — but in the India–Pakistan context they carry more than banter. The mood isn’t just about dew or pitch, it’s about history, politics and the accumulated narratives that come with two neighbours who have shared a fraught past.

I found myself thinking beyond the match. A refusal to shake hands is a small, public symbol; amplifying it into controversy reflects how fragile goodwill is between our countries. And yet, sport also keeps offering opportunities for those same small gestures to become the first, tentative steps toward something larger.

Why this resonates with things I wrote years ago

This isn’t new to me. Years back I wrote about the need for courageous, incremental moves that could change the tenor of India–Pakistan relations — the sort of small but principled steps that could open a door to dialogue. See my earlier reflections, for example, "One Step > Two Steps > Four Steps?" where I urged modest, concrete shifts to kickstart talks One Step > Two Steps > Four Steps?. I also explored the limits of symbolic changes and what might actually be needed for lasting peace in "A Partial Solution ?" Permanent Peace between India and Pakistan cannot be brought about by just scrapping Article 370 ! What can ? Read [ and share if you agree ]….

The core idea I want to emphasize is this — I had brought up this thought years ago: I predicted that incremental, courageous acts and a willingness to convert symbolic gestures into substantive dialogue could matter. Seeing how events unfold now, it’s striking how relevant those earlier insights remain. That sense of validation brings with it a renewed urgency: if small rituals can become sticking points, they can equally become openings.

Sport as a mirror — and a potential bridge

A few reflections from the stands of reason:

• Small gestures are symbolic but real. A handshake — or its absence — becomes shorthand for trust or its breakdown. People read meaning into these moments because they are starved for reassurance.
• The same stadium that amplifies the handshake row also creates shared experiences: heartbreaks, celebrations, and a collective attention that very few events command. Sport can be the stage where new narratives begin.
• The responsibility is not only on captains or players; institutions, media and citizens shape the aftermath. How we frame these moments matters.

What this moment calls for — personally

I don’t pretend that a cricket handshake will solve diplomatic impasses. But I do believe we should notice the small things and treat them with proportionate seriousness. When a ritual becomes a headline, it signals a deeper deficit of trust. That’s precisely why I’ve long argued for practical and incremental approaches to rebuilding trust — measures that go beyond headlines and are robust enough to survive them One Step > Two Steps > Four Steps?.

To me, last night’s toss was both a symptom and a reminder: the optics of sport will continue to reflect politics, but they also offer repeated, low-cost chances to try again — to make another small gesture, to show up differently, to convert symbolism into routine respect.

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Regards,
Hemen Parekh