Women's World Cup: India and Pakistan meet again, but attention split between cricket & controversy

Indian and Pakistani players haven't shaken hands with each other since the ACC Men's Asia Cup 2025.

There are bigger finals in cricket. There are matches that decide trophies and take teams into history. But few fixtures generate the kind of attention that India versus Pakistan does. Irrespective of the gender, the clash between two nations just attracts so much buzz.

Take the example of the last time these two teams met at the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in 2025. The group stage match between India and Pakistan became the most watched women’s ODI game (until then). Now, when the two teams meet at Edgbaston on Sunday to begin their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaigns, the cricket itself will naturally be the main attraction. Smriti Mandhana’s form, Pakistan’s bowling attack, and the pressure of a World Cup opener all will be subsets of the main rivalry.

Handshake: Major focus although unnecessarily

Although the in-game performance should be the main focus in sport, it is not the case for this fixture. Much of the conversation has revolved around if Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana shake hands. A year ago, that question would have sounded ridiculous.

Today, it is one of the most discussed aspects of any India-Pakistan cricket match. Since India’s no-handshake stance against Pakistan began appearing across cricketing events last year, every meeting between the two countries has carried a possibility of controversy. Cameras now follow the captains at the toss and linger after the final ball, waiting to see whether the customary greetings that are common in international sport will take place. Here’s a quick look at notable India-Pakistan matches where no handshakes were observed:

Harmanpreet’s message: Let’s talk cricket

Unsurprisingly, the topic found its way into the pre-match press conference in Birmingham. Harmanpreet, however, was in no mood to entertain it.

When asked whether another handshake-related controversy could emerge during the World Cup clash, the India captain quickly redirected the conversation.

“Well, I think we are here for cricket, and we only talk about cricket; except for cricket, we don’t talk about anything, and I don’t even think about anything except cricket. Cricket has been our dream from day one, and we only talk about it. For tomorrow’s game, we are thinking of it as just another game we are going to play,” Harmanpreet said.

Without directly saying if the two teams will shake hands or not, the Indian leader focused on what matters the most – the cricketing action. Although she also admitted that an IND-PAK game always carries extra pressure, there’s no thinking about handshake gestures or not.

After all, it is a call eventually taken by the board. After geopolitical tensions began due to a war between the two countries, the BCCI denied its players the engagement in any way possible with Pakistani players. Since the two countries only play in multi-nation events, the Indian government couldn’t boycott Pakistan. However, the approach is to not shake hands or entertain any camaraderie. During the Men’s Asia Cup 2025, there were various incidents of Pakistan players and even PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi provoking Indians through unwanted gestures.

Not mandatory, yet impossible to ignore

One reason the debate refuses to go is that handshakes occupy an unusual space in international cricket. They are part of the sport’s culture but not part of its regulations.

ICC playing conditions do not require players to shake hands before or after matches. Teams must complete official match procedures, but greetings remain a matter of convention rather than obligation. That distinction has created a grey area, where you are supposed to respect the opposition but are not bound to.

Broadcasters know viewership numbers will spike. Fans dissect every moment. Social media reacts instantly to even the smallest interactions. In such an environment, something as normal as a greeting between captains can become a headline.

India Women vs Pakistan Women: Head-to-head record in WT20Is

India Women vs Pakistan Women: Head-to-head record in Women’s T20 World Cup