Birmingham, June 14: In a notable incident during the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 match between India and Pakistan, the captains of both teams, Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana, did not shake hands. This marks the second consecutive ICC tournament where the two female captains have opted out of a handshake. A similar occurrence took place during the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Before the match, when asked if she expected to shake hands, Harmanpreet refrained from commenting on the matter. She stated, “I think we are here for cricket. We only talk about cricket. I don’t think about anything else apart from cricket.”
She added, “Cricket has been our dream since day one. We only discuss cricket. We are just thinking about this as another match we are going to play. There will definitely be pressure, as I have mentioned before; there is always pressure when we play against Pakistan. However, how we handle that pressure is what matters more. There is always pressure in any international match. The key is to give our hundred percent in the match and enjoy every moment.”
To date, India and Pakistan have played a total of 16 T20 matches, with India holding the upper hand. The Indian team has won 13 matches, while Pakistan has managed to secure only 3 victories. In the Women’s T20 World Cup, India’s record against Pakistan stands at 6-2, with India winning four of their last five T20 encounters.
Following last year’s Pulwama attack and Operation Sindoor, the ‘no handshake policy’ has become common in India-Pakistan matches. In both the Asia Cup and Men’s T20 World Cup, male players from both nations also refrained from shaking hands.
Former Indian T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav and his Pakistani counterpart Salman Ali Agha similarly avoided handshakes during three matches in Dubai and the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup match in Colombo. This trend has also been observed in the Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup and Rising Stars Men’s Asia Cup matches.
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