BIRMINGHAM: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan captain Fatima Sana once again did not shake hands ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash at Edgbaston on Sunday.
The latest incident came moments before the much-anticipated group-stage clash, when India won the toss and elected to bat first.
Following the toss, Harmanpreet went straight to the match official to discuss his side’s plans, team composition and playing XI.
After finishing his remarks, the Indian captain left and Fatima engaged in a conversation with the official.
The absence of the traditional handshake has been increasingly noticed in India-Pakistan cricket matches since late 2025.
Indian captains have reportedly adopted a consistent approach of avoiding pre-match and post-match handshakes with their Pakistani counterparts in many international matches and formats, marking a departure from long-standing cricketing tradition.
The trend first gained widespread attention during the ACC Men’s Asia Cup in Dubai in September 2025.
On that occasion, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates did not participate in the customary handshake before and after the group-stage match against Pakistan. The approach was maintained throughout the match, including the final.
Similar scenarios were observed in subsequent ICC events. During the ICC U19 World Cup in Bulawayo in February 2026, India U19 captain Ayush Madre also did not shake hands with Pakistan captain Farhan Yousuf in the toss.
A month later, at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Colombo, Suryakumar again avoided participating in the traditional handshake with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha before and after the team meeting.
This pattern continued at the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in Colombo in June 2026, where both Harmanpreet and Fatima did not engage in the customary handshake at the toss.
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