Asia Cup 2025: India vs Pakistan: After the Pahalgam terror attack in April, Team India played a match against Pakistan in September. Keeping the nation's sentiments in mind, the Indian players refused to shake hands with Pakistan during the entire course of the match (both at toss and post-match). (AFP Photo)
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Wimbledon 2023: Victoria Azarenka and Elina Svitolina: Belarusian tennis player Victoria Azarenka was booed by the crowd at Wimbledon because she did not shake hands with Elina Svitolina. The Ukrainian tennis player Svitolina refused to shake hands with any Russian or Belarusian player because of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. (AFP Photo)
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Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg (Monaco GP 2016): Nico Rosberg took back the lead in the Formula One championship in 2016. Lewis Hamilton was upset and wanted Rosberg to be penalised for violating the rule for an incident, which would help Hamilton to secure a key position in the Monaco GP. They finished first and second in the race, but they didn’t shake hands on the podium. (AP Photo)
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Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra (2012): In 2012, Luis Suarez was playing his second game after an eight-match ban for racial abuse on Patrice Evra was against Manchester United. Before kick-off, Suarez refused to shake hands with Evra. According to the reports, Suarez angrily kicked the ball towards the dugout of United at half-time, and there was a scuffle between both teams. (Photo- X)
Scotland Boycott Lamichhane (2023): In 2023, after a match between Scotland and Nepal, all the players lined up for the handshake. The Scottish player refused to shake hands with Sandeep Lamichhane, as he was facing criminal charges and was on bail in a sexual coercion case with a minor. This boycott drew global attention and also a debate on why any players with criminal charges should be allowed on the field. (AP Photo)
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Maxi Lopez and Mauro Icardi (2016): In a Serie A match in 2016, Sampdoria striker Maxi Lopez refused to shake hands with Inter forward Mauro Icardi because of a romantic controversy. They were both teammates the previous season and Icardi married the wife of Lopez, and this controversy became the gossip for a long time. (Photos: X)
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Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly (IPL 2023): During a match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals, a silent controversy spilled into the spotlight between Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly. After the match, Kohli walked past Ganguly without shaking hands. This incident was widely linked with the controversy of Kohli’s removal as the Indian team captain with Ganguly then serving as BCCI president. (Photo- X)
