The tension between India and Pakistan’s cricket teams resurfaced once again — this time at the Women’s World Cup 2025 in Colombo — as captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana pointedly skipped the customary handshake at the toss on Sunday.
What seemed like a small gesture — or its absence — was in fact a continuation of India’s quiet but firm no-handshake stance against Pakistan, mirroring the deepening off-field strain between the two boards that has now spilled into both men’s and women’s cricket.
While the ICC does not mandate handshakes in its official guidelines, teams are expected to uphold the spirit of the game. The omission, however, underscores the growing frost in Indo-Pak cricket ties amid rising diplomatic and sporting tensions.
This latest instance follows a similar episode during the men’s Asia Cup 2025, when Suryakumar Yadav’s Indian side chose not to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts after the group-stage match. The incident snowballed, with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha skipping his post-match interview and the PCB later releasing footage of their private discussion with match referee Andy Pycroft.
That leaked meeting — where Pakistan reportedly demanded Pycroft’s removal from the tournament — led to an official reprimand for the PCB, further straining ties between the two nations’ cricketing bodies.
The Colombo episode now adds another chapter to the ongoing standoff, with India maintaining its silent but firm stance of non-engagement against Pakistan, even on cricket’s biggest stage.
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