New Delhi: The Indian women’s cricket team continued the ‘no handshake’ policy during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup clash against arch-rivals Pakistan at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday. At the toss, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan captain Fatima Sana did not shake hands, continuing a trend that has followed in recent India-Pakistan cricket matches.After India’s emphatic 64-run victory over Pakistan, Pakistan head coach Wahab Riaz was asked about the absence of a handshake during the post-match press conference.“I’m sorry to ask, but we noticed that there were no handshakes again today. What is the relationship between the players and staff of the two different teams? Are you friendly behind the scenes, or is it just cool?” a reporter asked Riaz.The former Pakistan fast bowler, who represented his country in 27 Tests, 91 ODIs and 36 T20Is, replied:“Look, I don’t know. I’ve already left cricket, so I don’t know the reason for not shaking hands. But I think if things are going to go that way, it won’t make a big difference.”
India vs Pakistan ‘No Handshake’ Policy
Ever since the Pahalgam terror attack last year and the Indian Armed Forces’ Operation Sindoor, there has been a ‘no handshake’ approach between the Indian and Pakistani teams.The practice was first seen prominently when former India T20 captain Surya Kumar Yadav avoided shaking hands during the Asia Cup in Dubai. Since then, Indian teams have largely maintained a toss and post-match policy against Pakistan.A similar scene was witnessed during the Women’s ODI World Cup match in Colombo earlier this year, where Harmanpreet and Fatima did not even shake hands.Speaking on the occasion of India’s T20 World Cup launch, Harmanpreet was focused on cricket.“I think we are here for cricket, and we only talk about cricket, except we don’t talk about anything else. Cricket has been our dream since day one, and we only talk about cricket and tomorrow’s game,” Harmanpreet had said.India have been placed in Group A along with Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Netherlands and South Africa. Harmanpreet Kaur’s team will next face Holland at Headingley in Leeds on June 17.
