PCB's Australia tour promo takes swipe at India, triggers debate

The strained sporting relationship between India and Pakistan has reached a new flashpoint off the field. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) unveiled the new promotional video for Pakistan's upcoming T20I series against Australia, but what was meant to be a light-hearted advertisement for the three matches against Australia, which begins on sparked controversy as they took a jab at India.

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The promo shows Pakistan as a welcoming host for the Australian fans, with actors shown exploring the country. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha makes a brief appearance in the video as he reinforces the message of hospitality. However, the final moments of the video started the controversy.

In the final scene, a tourist is shown exiting a cab without shaking the hand of the driver. He then proceeds to call back the tourist and say a dialogue that has been interpreted as a dig at India.

"Handshake bhool gaye aap, shaayad humaare padosiyaan ke wahaan rukhe the. (You forgot the handshake, perhaps you stayed at our neighbour's place,)" said thew driver.

You can see the full ad below:

India and Pakistan's no handshake policy

India started its no-handshake policy with Pakistan during the Asia Cup 2025, as India captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with Agha during all three matches between the arch-rivals. This then extended to the Women's World Cup match in Colombo when Harmanpreet Kaur didn't shake hands with Pakistan captain Fatima Sana.

The Rising Stars Asia Cup and U19 Asia Cup matches also saw India follow a similar stance by the Indian team as they decided to use the gesture as a mark of showing solidarity to the Indian army and the vicitms of the Pahalgam attack.

India and Pakistan are all set to lock horns during the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 on February 15 in Colombo.

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