IND-W vs PAK-W: Harmanpreet Kaur’s blunt answer on ‘handshake’ controversy, clarified stand before Pakistan match

Delhi: The teams of India and Pakistan are fully prepared to clash once again on the big stage. Both the teams will face each other today in their first match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Edgbaston ground in Birmingham. Before this great match, the captains of both the teams, Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana, spoke to the media (June 13), where not only cricket but many things other than sports were discussed.

What did Harmanpreet Kaur say on the ‘handshake’ controversy?

During the press conference, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur was asked whether a similar ‘handshake’ controversy could be seen in this match, as happened during the Men’s T20 Asia Cup last year. On this, the captain of Team India gave a very straight and strong answer without any hesitation.

Harmanpreet said,

‘I think we have come here only for cricket and we only talk about cricket. Apart from cricket, we don’t talk about anything else and to be honest, I don’t even think about anything other than cricket. Cricket has been our dream since day one and we only talk about it. We are looking at tomorrow’s match as just a normal match, which we are going to play on the field.

Taking the conversation further, Harmanpreet also admitted that whatever the occasion, there is always a different pressure regarding the match against Pakistan.

Also read: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, IND-W vs PAK-W: Pitch report from Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham

There is pressure while playing against Pakistan

Harman further said that whenever we play against Pakistan, there is pressure but what is important is how much we enjoy the game while facing that pressure. There will always be pressure in any international match, the only thing is that you give your 100% in that match and enjoy every moment to the fullest.

How is Harmanpreet’s record against Pakistan in T20I?

Harmanpreet Kaur’s record against Pakistan in T20Is so far has not been very good. The Indian captain has scored 194 runs in 15 matches against his arch-rival.

Also read: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, INDW vs PAKW: When and where to watch the live telecast of the match?

If we talk about the batsmen from India who have scored the most T20 runs against Pakistan, then Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana are ahead of Harmanpreet Kaur in this list. The Indian captain is currently at number three in this list and during this high-voltage match to be held on Sunday, he will have a great opportunity to leave Mithali Raj behind.