Birmingham, June 14, 2026: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana once again did not exchange the customary handshake during the toss ahead of their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash at Edgbaston on Sunday, continuing a trend that has become increasingly noticeable in India-Pakistan cricket encounters.
The latest instance occurred moments before the highly anticipated group-stage match when India won the toss and elected to bat first.
Following the toss ceremony, Harmanpreet moved directly towards the match official to discuss her side’s team combination, playing XI and match strategy. After completing her remarks, the Indian captain walked away, while Fatima Sana remained engaged in conversation with the official.
The absence of the traditional handshake has now become a recurring feature of India-Pakistan fixtures across various international tournaments since late 2025.
The trend first attracted widespread attention during the ACC Men’s Asia Cup in Dubai in September 2025, when India captain Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates did not participate in the customary pre-match and post-match handshakes with their Pakistani counterparts. The approach reportedly continued throughout the tournament, including during the final.
During the ICC U19 World Cup in Bulawayo in February 2026, India Under-19 captain Ayush Mhatre also did not exchange a handshake with Pakistan captain Farhan Yousaf during the toss ceremony.
A month later, at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Colombo, Suryakumar again refrained from participating in the traditional handshake with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha before and after the teams’ group-stage encounter.
The pattern continued earlier this month at the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in Colombo, where Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana similarly did not engage in the customary handshake during the toss proceedings.
The handshake before and after matches has long been regarded as a symbol of sportsmanship and mutual respect in international cricket, regardless of the intensity of rivalries on the field.
However, the repeated absence of the gesture in recent India-Pakistan contests has drawn considerable attention among cricket followers and observers, particularly given the significance of the rivalry and the frequency with which the two teams now meet in major ICC and ACC tournaments.
