The men's hockey team of India put on a show against Pakistan in the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 game.

India clinched a vital victory of 5-3 in Amstelveen and advanced to the next stage of the tournament.

But more than the result, what took the centre stage was the lovely gesture shared between the players after the whistle blew.

The much-anticipated clash between India and Pakistan was played at the Wagener Stadium on Wednesday and held great importance for both teams.

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India needed a positive result to move ahead, while the Pakistanis were looking to keep their hope of progressing alive.

India And Pakistan Players Share Handshakes After Full-Time

Though the actual outcome itself produced plenty of excitement, the moments after the final whistle became one of the most discussed incidents of the evening.

A video emerged from Amstelveen where both Indian and Pakistani players were seen meeting each other and exchanging handshakes after the contest.

The incident gained importance owing not just to the sport’s natural competitive nature but also to the political tensions built around India-Pakistan encounters in the recent past.

Before the match began, after singing the national anthems of the two countries, both teams decided to exchange high-fives instead of the customary pre-match handshake.

The practice of handshakes has been at the center of controversies in cricket since the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor which forced the Indian cricket teams to call off their handshake with the Pakistan cricket team.

However in hockey we all seen players exchanging friendly gestures previously.

Similar situations have already been seen when Indian and Pakistani hockey players met each other at the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2025 when the players exchanged high-fives before the match and shook hands after the game ended in a 3-3 tie.

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India Knock Pakistan Out Of Hockey World Cup

India delivered when the crucial moment arrived. Harmanpreet scored a penalty corner goal first and Abhishek, the second in a row. Pakistan attempted to recover, but India's attack had always found gaps in their defense.

Both Harmanpreet and Abhishek scored two goals apiece, while Hardik Singh made sure of the goals with his penalty strokes.

Although Pakistan scored their share of goals, they could not stage any comeback against India.