Mumbai: The contest will begin long before the first ball is bowled. When India and Pakistan walk out for the Asian Games men's cricket final on Saturday, the customary handshake is unlikely to be part of the occasion.
The absence of that sporting ritual has become an increasingly visible feature of India-Pakistan encounters. The trend began in cricket at last year's Asia Cup and has since travelled beyond the boundary, extending to the continental showpiece and sports including volleyball, table tennis and hockey.
Against that backdrop, the battle for gold at Korogi Park acquires a significance that goes well beyond the standard of cricket at the Games.
World champions India have arrived with a formidable collection of T20 stars and, on paper, should start with a considerable advantage over a young Pakistan side. But rivalry rarely respects such calculations.
For interim head coach VVS Laxman and new T20 captain Shreyas Iyer, Pakistan represent the proverbial banana peel. Victory and gold would largely be treated as the expected outcome. A slip against a second-string Pakistan team, however, would be considered a major embarrassment.
India have sent their first team to Japan and even have pace great Jasprit Bumrah for a competition that is otherwise far from top-notch.
Persistent rain has also produced an unusual route to the title contest. India and Pakistan needed only one victory each to reach the final after securing comfortable semi-final wins.
If the political undertones and the no-handshake convention provide the theatre around the match, the surface at Korogi Park could shape what happens on it.
Underlying moisture, followed by bright sunshine, has produced uneven bounce and considerable turn, potentially reducing the gulf between the two sides. That brings the spinners firmly into the contest.
India will lean heavily on Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi, while Abhishek Sharma could also be called upon if the pitch offers substantial turn. Bumrah remains India's point of difference, with his range of skills making him effective almost irrespective of conditions.
Pakistan have their own spin resources in Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Moqim, with Saim Ayub and Arafat Minhas offering further options. The 16 overs delivered by the two teams' principal spinners could go a long way towards deciding who takes gold.
India's batting, though, carries far greater star power. Abhishek, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson, Iyer, semi-final hero Ishan Kishan, Asia Cup final star Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube give them depth and power.
Pakistan's hopes will rest substantially on captain Sahibzada Farhan, who has previously featured in an advertorial documentary about the experience of hitting Bumrah for six.
Saim is highly rated in Pakistan but has yet to produce anything significant against India. Hasan Nawaz and Abdul Samad, meanwhile, have shown their ability to deliver under pressure, having helped Pakistan defeat a full-strength Bangladesh side featuring Litton Das, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam and Towhid Hridoy.
Pakistan may lack the star power associated with some of their teams of the past, but Sahibzada, Maaz Sadaqat, Hasan, Saim and Arafat have enough ability to make the conditions count.
That leaves India confronting a peculiar equation. They enter as world champions, with the stronger line-up and the greater expectations, against their fiercest rivals in a gold-medal contest where even the pre-match handshake has become part of the story.
There may be little acclaim for doing what is expected. The consequences of failing to do it will feel considerably larger.
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