IND vs PAK: Harmanpreet Kaur bluntly on handshake controversy before India-Pak match – We came here only for cricket

By Samira Vishwas On Jun 14, 2026

IND vs PAK Handshake controversy: The teams of India and Pakistan are going to face each other once again in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. Both the arch-rivals teams will face each other in their first match of the tournament. Before the match, captains of both the teams Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana attended the press conference, where questions were asked about cricket as well as India-Pakistan relations. However, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur caught everyone’s attention by giving clear and frank answers to such questions.

In fact, a journalist asked Harmanpreet whether a situation like the handshake controversy seen in the Men’s Asia Cup could arise in this match too? On this question, the Indian captain clearly refused to get involved in politics or controversies.

Harmanpreet said, ‘We have come here to play cricket and talk only about cricket. Apart from cricket, I don’t even think about anything else. Our dream since childhood has been to play cricket and our entire focus is on that. This match is also like a normal international match for us.

There is always pressure in India-Pak match: Harmanpreet
Harmanpreet described this match as another match. But he also admitted that the contest between India and Pakistan would always be a stressful one. He said that there is definitely extra pressure in the match between the two countries. But it is important to take it in a positive manner.

The Indian captain said, ‘Whenever we play against Pakistan, there is pressure. But the important thing is how much we enjoy that pressure. There is pressure in every match in international cricket. It is important that you give your 100 percent and enjoy every moment on the field.

Dream of winning T20 World Cup

The Indian team, which has won the Women’s ODI World Cup, will now enter the field with the aim of winning the T20 World Cup title. Cricket experts are counting India among the strong contending teams for the tournament. Harmanpreet admitted that the team is also under pressure from the expectations of the fans.

She said, ‘I will not say that there is no pressure. Even when I was a cricket fan, I felt this pressure and now being a player, it is even more. But we consider ourselves lucky that we have got a chance to play on such a big stage. Our aim is just to go on the field and play our best cricket.

The Indian team would like to start the tournament with a win. In such a situation, all eyes are on the India-Pakistan match, where the Harmanpreet-led team will try to make a great start to its campaign.