The no-handshake policy between India and Pakistan continued on Sunday as India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana did not shake hands at the toss before their Group A match in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at Edgbaston.The practice has been followed by Indian cricket teams since the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor carried out by the Armed Forces thereafter last year. Indian players have avoided handshakes with Pakistan players at the toss and after matches since then.The approach was first seen when then India men’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart during the Asia Cup in Dubai. Harmanpreet and Fatima had also not exchanged handshakes during the Women’s ODI World Cup match in Colombo.Speaking on the eve of the match, Harmanpreet had said cricket remained the only focus for her team.“I think we are here for cricket, and we only talk about cricket, except that we don’t talk about anything.. Cricket has been our dream from day one, and we only discuss cricket and tomorrow’s game,” Harmanpreet had said when asked by the media on the eve of India’s T20 World Cup opener.At the toss on Sunday, Harmanpreet won and chose to bat first. As in recent meetings between the two sides, there was no handshake between the captains.India made one notable selection call, bringing in Bharti Fulmali while leaving out Yastika Bhatia. Harmanpreet said the team would go into the match with three spinners and two medium pacers.India entered the 12-team tournament as the reigning Women’s ODI World Cup champions after winning the 2025 title on home soil. However, their recent T20I results have been mixed.The India-Pakistan clash marked both teams first Group A match of the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup, with the no-handshake policy once again drawing attention before the game began.Teams:India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Shreyanka PatilPakistan: Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali(w), Ayesha Zafar, Saira Jabeen, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana(c), Rameen Shamim, Nashra Sandhu, Tasmia Rubab, Sadia Iqbal.
