Sultan of Johor Cup: India-Pakistan players shake hands before match, break 'no-handshake' trend of cricketers

Johor [Malaysia], October 14 (ANI): Handshakes took place between India and Pakistan players as they took to the field for their Sultan of Johor clash in Malaysia on Sunday.

This comes after India's men's and women's cricket teams did not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the Asia Cup and the ongoing ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, which is being hosted by India. Pakistan is playing all its matches in Colombo. The trend, started by Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, had not gone well against Pakistan's men's team, who filed a complaint against match-referee Andy Pycroft and removed him from the officials' roster for violation of the ICC Code of Conduct and 'Spirit of Cricket'.

However, on Ashley Morrison Media's YouTube channel, where the match was being live-streamed, some players from both teams could be seen shaking the hands of their opponents.

Both teams went on to play a 3-3 draw.

In a pulsating encounter that swung both ways, India fought back from a two-goal deficit to take the lead, only for Pakistan to strike late and ensure the points were shared. The result also means that India is still undefeated in the tournament. For India, Araijeet Singh Hundal (43'), Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (47'), and Manmeet Singh (53') netted goals, while for Pakistan, Hannan Shahid (5') and Sufyan Khan (39', 55') were on the scoresheet.

The Indian colts made a bright start, dominating possession and making several early circle penetrations that kept Pakistan on the back foot. Their early pressure earned them a penalty corner in just the third minute, but the opportunity went begging.

Against the run of play, Pakistan hit back through a quick counterattack and earned a penalty stroke soon after. Captain Hannan Shahid (5') made no mistake, slotting the ball low to the goalkeeper's right to give his team an early lead. Buoyed by the breakthrough, Pakistan began to find their rhythm, stringing together quick passes and launching a few threatening raids into the Indian circle. They came close again through a penalty corner in the 10th minute but failed to extend their advantage, according to a Hockey India release.

India, meanwhile, continued to press hard for the equaliser, testing Pakistan's defence with pace and precision and even came close to scoring on multiple occasions, but could not, as the opening quarter ended 1-0 in Pakistan's favour.

Pakistan began the second quarter on the front foot, launching an early attack that earned them another penalty corner. However, the Indian defence stood tall, denying them any chance to extend their lead. Moments later, India faced a setback when Anmol Ekka was shown a yellow card for a sliding tackle in the 20th minute, forcing the team to play a man short for the remaining 10 minutes of the second quarter.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Indian Colts displayed admirable discipline and composure. They not only kept Pakistan from capitalising on the situation but also continued to test their opponents' defence with quick transitions and clever passing. Yet, the equaliser remained elusive, as Pakistan maintained their slender 1-0 lead going into half-time.

Determined to fight their way back into the contest, India began the third quarter with renewed intent, focusing on maintaining possession and building patient attacks.

Pakistan, however, stayed true to their counterattacking approach and made it count when Sufyan Khan (39') converted a penalty corner to double their lead, piling further pressure on the Indian colts.

Refusing to back down, India continued to push forward and was rewarded late in the quarter. With less than three minutes remaining, they earned a penalty stroke, which was confidently converted by Araijeet Singh Hundal (43') to narrow the deficit and keep his side in the hunt. The penultimate quarter closed with Pakistan holding a 2-1 advantage.

The final quarter began with Pakistan earning an early penalty corner, but the Indian defence held firm to deny them. Moments later, India turned the tide as Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (47') struck a superbly placed shot to bring the scores level. Confident after finding the equaliser, the Indian colts switched to an aggressive, attacking approach that pushed Pakistan onto the back foot.

Their persistence paid off in the 53rd minute when Manmeet Singh found the back of the net, giving India the lead for the first time in the match. However, the advantage proved short-lived as Pakistan's Sufyan Khan (55') converted a penalty corner for the second time in the match to restore parity. Both sides pressed hard in the final minutes in search of a winner, but neither could break the deadlock, and the thrilling encounter ended in a 3-3 draw.

India will next play Australia on 15th October at 1805 hours IST. (ANI)

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