India is set to begin their ODI series against Australia on October 19, but off-field drama has already emerged.
A video on social media, uploaded by Kayo Sports, showed Australian players (both men and women) mocking Indian cricketers over “no handshake” stance adopted during Asia Cup 2025.
Following the tragic Pahalgam terror attack in April, which claimed 26 lives, Indian cricket team had refused to shake hands with Pakistani players during Asia Cup, including the final, as a mark of solidarity with the victims. This decision sparked worldwide discussion.
Australia mocks India over ‘handshake row’
In the viral video, an anchor jokingly commented on India’s handshake stance, suggesting, ” We all know India is on its way. But we’ve identified one critical weakness.”
“We know that they’re not huge fans of the traditional greeting (handshake), so we can throw them off before we’ve even bowled a ball,” an anchor added.
In response to widespread backlash, Kayo Sports has removed the video from their X handle.
The clip showed Australian players, including women’s spinner Sophie Molineux and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, making mocking gestures, with Marsh, Hazlewood, Grace Harris, and the anchor laughing.
In the video, Australia’s white-ball captain Mitchell Marsh humorously mimics a viral on-field moment involving teammate Travis Head, while Josh Hazlewood adds a provocative gun-hand gesture, joking, “What about the shooter?”
However, the clip sparked the most outrage online due to actions of Australia women’s spinner Sophie Molineux, who raised her hands before making a blurred gesture widely interpreted as showing her middle fingers.
The video concluded with Marsh, Hazlewood, and Grace Harris laughing together, signaling that this was more than harmless pre-series banter – it appeared to be a deliberate mockery of India’s political stance.
The Indian team will play eight limited-overs matches in Australia, starting with the first ODI in Perth on October 19, followed by Adelaide (October 23) and Sydney (October 25). This will be followed by a five-match T20 series from October 29 to November 8.
