Australia&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s cricketers, including Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh, have taken a cheeky dig at India over their handshake snub against Pakistan during the Asia Cup 2025. 
The light-hearted mockery comes just days before the India-Australia ODI series begins, suggesting that the mind games have already started.
The India-Australia cricket rivalry is among the most anticipated matchups globally. 
Both teams are set to clash in a three-match ODI series followed by five T20Is, beginning Sunday, October 19, in Perth.&nbsp;
The upcoming series will also mark the international return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. 
However, before the first ball has even been bowled, the Australian camp has already stirred things up with a playful jibe at India&rsquo;s controversial refusal to shake hands with Pakistan during the Asia Cup.
The Asia Cup 2025, hosted amid political tensions, was overshadowed by off-field controversies involving India and Pakistan. 
The issue started when Suryakumar Yadav-led India declined to shake hands with Pakistan players following their matches, reportedly as a mark of protest after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. 
Later, India also refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as both ACC and PCB chairman and Pakistan&rsquo;s Interior Minister.
Ahead of the ODI series, Australian broadcaster Kayo Sports released a promotional video where several Aussie cricketers, including Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, Alyssa Healy, and Mitchell Marsh, humorously mocked India&rsquo;s &ldquo;handshake&rdquo; incident.
The video begins with one anchor saying, &ldquo;We all know India is on its way. But we&rsquo;ve identified one critical weakness.&rdquo; 
The second anchor responds, &ldquo;We know they&rsquo;re not huge fans of the traditional greeting (handshake), so we can throw them off before we&rsquo;ve even bowled a ball.&rdquo;
Mitchell Marsh, leading Australia&rsquo;s white-ball side, appears next in the video, playfully mimicking Travis Head&rsquo;s &ldquo;finger in the ice cup&rdquo; act. 
Spinner Sophie Molineux joins in, pretending to offer a handshake before raising two middle fingers, while Hazlewood jokingly suggests, &ldquo;What about the shooter?&rdquo; The video ends with the players and anchors bursting into laughter.
On the cricketing front, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have been included in Australia&rsquo;s squad for the ODIs against India, while Test captain Pat Cummins will miss out due to a back injury. 
Cummins is being rested ahead of the Ashes but is unlikely to feature in the series opener against England on November 21 in Perth.
Earlier this year, Steve Smith announced his retirement from ODIs after Australia&rsquo;s loss to India in the Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai. 
Meanwhile, Australia have confirmed that Adam Zampa and Josh Inglis will miss the first ODI against India.
Australia squad for India ODIs:
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Owen, Matt Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

Australian players mock India over handshake snub

Hazlewood, Marsh lead playful dig at India ahead of ODI series opener

Aussies Mock India’s Handshake Snub

Hazlewood, Marsh lead playful dig at India ahead of ODI series opener

October 14, 2025 | 23:20 IST