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New Delhi: Team India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan captain Fatima Sana refused to shake hands at the toss of the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 clash at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, October 5. Pakistan have won the toss and opted to bowl first in the group-stage fixture.
The move comes after Suryakumar and Co. decided not to shake hands with Pakistan players during the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025. According to the reports, women’s cricketers had been advised by the BCCI not to shake hands with Pakistan players.
The Women’s Cricket World Cup guidelines set by the International Cricket Council (ICC) do not make handshakes compulsory between the players, and action can only be taken against teams or players if their conduct doesn’t uphold the spirit of the game.
Amid rising political tensions between the two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 Indians, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. In response, the Men in Blue decided not to shake hands with their arch-rivals. They faced each other thrice on the cricket field during the Asia Cup, and the Men in Blue refused to shake hands on all occasions.
Since the 2025 Champions Trophy earlier this year, India and Pakistan have been playing all their ICC and ACC tournament matches in neutral venues, an agreement that will continue till 2027. As a result, Pakistan will play all its Women’s World Cup 2025 matches in Colombo.
India Women: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh(w), Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani.
Pakistan Women: Muneeba Ali, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, Rameen Shamim, Aliya Riaz, Sidra Nawaz(w), Fatima Sana(c), Natalia Pervaiz, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.
