No handshake controversy continues in India-PAK match. (Photo- GETTY)
IND W vs PAK W, ICC Womens T20 World Cup: In the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, the Indian women’s cricket team played its first match against arch-rival Pakistan. The no handshake controversy was once again seen at the beginning of this match at the historic Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. In this match, the Indian women’s team maintained its ‘no handshake’ policy against Pakistan. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur did not shake hands with the Pakistani captain during the toss, making it clear that this tough stance between the two teams will continue even after the match.
No handshake controversy continues in India-PAK match
In this high-voltage match, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and decided to bat first. At the time of toss, Harmanpreet Kaur said that this is a very favorable pitch for batting. He also told that the entire team is very excited about this match and wants to take forward the confidence gained from the good performance in the last World Cup. After this she went to the other side without shaking hands with Pakistani captain Fatima Sana. Usually after the toss both the captains shake hands.
However, this trend of India and Pakistan not shaking hands in cricket matches is not new. Actually, it started during the Men’s Asia Cup last year, when the Indian team captained by Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with the Pakistani players. Since then, both men’s and women’s cricket teams of India have strictly followed this policy. Before the Women’s World Cup, Indian players had adopted the same policy against Pakistan in the Under-19 World Cup, Rising Stars Asia Cup and Men’s T-20 World Cup, which has now been continued in the Women’s World Cup also.
Playing 11 of both teams
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shefali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Sri Charani, Kranti Gaur.
Pakistan: Gul Firozha, Muniba Ali (wk), Ayesha Zafar, Saira Jabeen, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Parvez, Fatima Sana (c), Ramin Shamim, Nashra Sandhu, Tasmiya Rubab, Sadia Iqbal.
