New Delhi: Before the much-awaited match of Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 between India and Pakistan, the issue of not shaking hands among the players once again came into discussion. In the match played on Sunday, June 14, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and decided to bat first, but one of her actions during the toss process caught everyone’s attention. After the toss, instead of shaking hands with Pakistani captain Fatima Sana, she started talking directly to the presenter.
This scene before the start of the match became a topic of discussion on social media and in the cricket world. In fact, the policy of Indian players avoiding shaking hands with Pakistani players has been seen for some time. This issue first came to prominence during the 2025 Men’s Asia Cup. After this, similar incidents were seen in international tournaments of different age groups.
In tournaments like Rising Stars Asia Cup, Under-19 Asia Cup and Under-19 World Cup, there were instances of players of the two countries maintaining distance from formal greetings. This situation is not new in women’s cricket also. Even during the last Women’s World Cup, the incident of not shaking hands between Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana after the match between India and Pakistan was in the news.
When Harmanpreet was asked a question on this topic a day before the match, he avoided commenting on the issue in detail and said that the team’s entire focus is on cricket and match preparations. He had clarified that the players are giving priority to performance on the field rather than external discussions.
Talking about the match, the Indian team decided to take the field with a balanced combination. The team management included three spin bowlers in the playing eleven. There was a discussion regarding the selection between Yastika Bhatia and Bharti Fulmali, but ultimately Bharti Fulmali got the chance. On the other hand, Pakistan gave an opportunity to young player Saira Jabeen to debut in the World Cup. Captain Fatima Sana also ended the ongoing speculations regarding her knee injury and said that she is completely fit and ready to play the match.
The Indian team entered this match with the intention of further improving its strong record against Pakistan. India’s performance against Pakistan in Women’s T20 International cricket has been quite impressive so far and the team wants to carry forward this progress. Matches between the two countries always hold special significance and this time too, the eyes of cricket lovers were fixed on this high-voltage match.
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