Harbhajan Singh Takes U-Turn; Breaks India's No Handshake Tradition with Pakistan

Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh broke the India's tradition of not shaking hands with Pakistani cricketers. The incident took place after the match between Aspin Stallions and Northern Warriors during the ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 League on November 19.

It is to be noted that Harbhajan Singh is also the captain of Aspin Stallions. After the game ended in a thrilling fashion, Harbhajan briefly shook hands with Shahnawaz Dahani, a promising fast bowler from Pakistan, who was representing Northern Warriors in this match.

Harbhajan Singh Takes U-Turn on No Handshake Tradition

After Northern Warriors defeated Aspin Stallions by a close margin of 4 runs, the players from both teams exchanged the post-match handshakes with each other. During this moment, Harbhajan shook hands with Pakistan's Shahnawaz Dahani, who was representing the opposition team.

The moment quickly garnered attention on social media due to the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan lately. The fans expected Harbhajan Singh no handshake moment with any of the Pakistani players in this league but that didn't happen this time.

Clearly, his fans are not happy and accused him of sharing pleasantries with a Pakistani player. It needs to be noted that Harbhajan is also one of the best spinners in the world alongside being the captain of his team. He is one of those few bowlers in the world who has played more than 100 Tests and picked up more than 400 wickets in the format.

The no handshake controversy erupted during the Asia Cup 2025 when the India national cricket team refused to shake hands with the Pakistan national cricket team in any of the games played between these two nations. The controversy rose further when Pakistan even lodged a complaint against match referee Andy Pycroft and accused India of bringing politics into sport.

Northern Warriors Register Thrilling Win

The Abu Dhabi T10 league has some of the most dangerous batsmen in the world. Coming to the match, Northern Warriors defeated Aspin Stallions in the 3rd match of Abu Dhabi T10 League. Warriors batted first and scored 114-1 in their 10 overs on the back of useful knocks from Johnson Charles and Colin Munro.

In reply, Aspin Stallions reached closer to the target but were reduced to 110-7. Avishka Fernando and Rahmanullah Gurbaz played fine knocks but were unable to take their team to win. Dahani shone with the ball for Warriors and picked up 2-10 in two overs. Later, he was also chosen the Player of the Match for his brilliant bowling performance.