The trend that began in the men’s Asia Cup continues in women’s cricket as well.
The expected scene unfolded in the Women’s One Day World Cup clash between India and Pakistan. During the toss, India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan’s skipper Fatima Sana notably avoided the customary handshake.
On Sunday in Colombo, the two Asian rivals faced off in a group-stage encounter. Before the game even began, the focus wasn’t solely on the cricket — fans and media were more curious to see whether the captains would shake hands. Since the gesture didn’t happen at the toss, many believe the teams will likely avoid it after the match as well.
This controversial practice began during the men’s Asia Cup, when due to tense political relations between the two nations, Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts in all three encounters. The issue sparked massive debate and remains unresolved.
India defeated Pakistan in all three Asia Cup matches, including the final. However, the Indian team refused to collect the trophy and medals from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi. As a result, they left the UAE without the trophy — a situation still without resolution.
Amid this ongoing tension, the same sight of avoiding handshakes appeared again on the women’s World Cup stage. In fact, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had hinted at this possibility just days earlier on the BBC’s “Stumped” podcast.
“Whether there will be handshakes or hugs — I can’t say for sure right now. I can’t assume anything beforehand. But our relationship with that hostile country remains the same; nothing has changed since last week,” he said.
At the toss, Pakistan opted to field first. They had lost their opening game to Bangladesh, while tournament favorites India began their campaign with a win over Sri Lanka.
