New Delhi, September 5 (Daily Kiran) : In a highly anticipated match at the Women’s Asia Cup 2026, the captains of India and Pakistan once again opted for a ‘no handshake’ at the start of the game. Both teams entered the field unchanged from their previous line-ups.
This practice began after India’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistani players in response to the 2025 Pulwama terror attack. Since then, both the men’s and women’s cricket teams from India have adhered strictly to this no-handshake policy.
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first. Captain Fatima Sana expressed her team’s strategy, stating, “We want to score as many runs as possible. Our bowling is strong, and we’ll try to restrict them. We just want to play according to the pitch.”
For Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, this match marks her 150th T20 International appearance. She now ranks among the top captains in T20 history, with Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu at 121 matches and Australia’s Meg Lanning at 100 matches following her.
After losing the toss, Kaur remarked, “It’s great that we have the chance to chase. Playing my 150th T20 International as captain is a significant achievement, and it’s important to enjoy the game. We will try to restrict them to a low score.”
The Indian playing XI included Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Nandani Sharma, Shri Charni, and Kranti Gaud.
On the other hand, the Pakistani team featured Muniba Ali (wicketkeeper), Saqib Zulfiqar, Gul Firoza, Ayesha Jafar, Sadaf Shamas, Fatima Sana (captain), Umm-e-Hani, Eman Fatima, Tuba Hasan, Nashra Sandhu, and Sadia Iqbal.
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