India is preparing to tour Australia for an exciting three-match ODI and five-match T20I series, and enthusiasm for the upcoming tour is growing. The series will be a return to the ODI setup for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and there is going to be some quality cricket. Fans of both teams will be hoping for competitive performances from both teams, as India will be looking to take on the Aussies in their own backyard.

Before a ball is bowled, Australia has commenced its mind games with a cheeky dig at India. Kayo Sports shared a video on its official X handle featuring the Grade Cricketer podcast duo, along with Australian men and women cricketers. The hosts indicated in jest that they had discovered a “critical weakness” in the Indian team.

Australians tease India over handshake saga

One of the hosts said, “We all know India’s on their way, but we have identified one critical weakness.” The other host added a playful jab, referring to India’s hesitation around traditional greetings—an indirect reference to the handshake refusal between India and Pakistan during the Asia Cup, which followed cross-border tensions and the Pahalgam terror attack. “Now, we know that they are not huge fans of traditional greeting, so we can throw them off before they even bowl a ball,” he said.

The Australian players took it all in their stride and came up with some funny alternatives. Glenn Maxwell and a younger Aussie cricketer demonstrated an unusual joining of hands, while Mitchell Marsh brought Travis Head's finger-in-ice-cup action. Meanwhile, Alyssa Healy and Alana King produced the 'healing hands' action, while Josh Hazlewood went for a cheeky 'shooter' action.


This is all part of Australia's playfully serious mind games leading up to the tour: a combination of humour and sport. Indian players, however, are thinking about playing cricket and planning on responding on the pitch, before concluding the series with a friendly handshake and leaving the off-field jokes behind.