Echoing the stance taken by their male counterparts during the Asia Cup in Dubai, the Indian women’s cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will reportedly forgo the traditional handshakes with Pakistani players. This decision applies to their highly anticipated Women’s World Cup encounter in Colombo on October 5th, highlighting the ongoing strained cricketing relations between the two nations.
With relations between India and Pakistan in the cricketing world at a significant low, tensions recently escalated when Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi declined to present the winner’s trophy to Suryakumar Yadav following the Asia Cup in Dubai.
The incident followed the Indian men’s team’s earlier refusal to accept the Asia Cup trophy from a Pakistani official.
A senior source within the BCCI, speaking anonymously, confirmed the stringent policy: “The BCCI operates in alignment with the government, which dictates no customary handshakes at the toss, no joint photo-shoots with the match referee, and no post-match handshakes. This protocol, previously applied to the men’s team, will now be adopted by the women’s side as well.”
Attention will also be on the toss ceremony in Colombo, with expectations that a neutral former player or cricket pundit will be appointed to conduct it, rather than an official from either nation.
This strained atmosphere marks a stark contrast to the 2022 ODI World Cup in New Zealand, where heartwarming images of Indian players affectionately interacting with then-Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof’s infant daughter garnered widespread attention and praise.
However, in the upcoming match, it is anticipated that Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana will refrain from exchanging even basic pleasantries, reflecting the current political climate impacting sporting relations.