'New normal in India vs Pakistan matches': No-handshake continues at toss and post-match during Women's T20 World Cup 2026

Nairavoice | Jun 15, 2026 1h ago 217 0 3 min read

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‘New normal in India vs Pakistan matches’: No-handshake continues at toss and post-match during Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 originally appeared on Cricket News.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana did not shake hands at the toss or post-match at Edgbaston on Sunday.
This was the second successive ICC women’s tournament where the two captains avoided the customary gesture.
The no-handshake policy has now been applied across every India-Pakistan cricket meeting since the Pahalgam attack in May 2025.

IND vs PAK: No handshakes continue at toss and post-match during Women’s T20 World Cup 2026

When Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss at Edgbaston on Sunday evening, she turned immediately to broadcaster Mel Jones for her post-toss interview. There was no pause, no outstretched hand toward Fatima Sana. The no-handshake policy, now well-established across all India-Pakistan cricket fixtures, continued without ceremony.

It had been the same at the end of the match. Players from both sides dispersed to their respective dressing rooms once the final ball was bowled, with no post-match handshakes between the teams. What might once have been considered a diplomatic incident is increasingly being described as simply the new normal.

The policy was first applied in the women’s game at the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in October 2025. Harmanpreet and Fatima Sana walked past each other at the toss without acknowledgment, and there were no handshakes after India’s 88-run victory either.

When did the no-handshake policy begin in India vs. Pakistan matches?

In May 2025, a terror attack in India-administered Kashmir killed 26 Indian tourists at Pahalgam, setting the precedent. India’s subsequent military response under Operation Sindoor shattered what remained of bilateral cricketing diplomacy, and the BCCI conveyed to players that the customary pre- and post-match handshakes with Pakistani counterparts were to be avoided.

The men’s side implemented the directive first, across three Asia Cup encounters against Pakistan in Dubai, during which Suryakumar Yadav’s team also declined to accept the winners’ trophy from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi. The policy has since been applied at the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, and the Rising Stars Men’s Asia Cup without exception.

MORE:India vs Pakistan turns highest-attended group game in Women’s T20 World Cup history

'New normal in India vs Pakistan

Women’s cricket following the same pattern of no-handshake in India vs Pakistan matches

Sunday’s match marked the second consecutive ICC tournament in which Harmanpreet and Fatima Sana have stood at the toss without acknowledging each other. Asked before the game whether the handshake would return, Harmanpreet deflected without hesitation.

– No handshake at the toss.
– No handshake after the match.
New normal in India vs Pakistan matches. pic.twitter.com/aHfLgSCUEd
— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) June 14, 2026

“No handshake at the toss. No handshake after the match. New normal in India vs Pakistan matches,” wrote Pakistani cricket fan account @CallMeSheri1_ on X, a post that captured the mood with the kind of bluntness that official statements rarely manage.

“Well, I think we are here for cricket, and we only talk about cricket. Except for cricket, we don’t discuss anything, and I don’t even think about anything except cricket,” Harmanpreet had told reporters earlier on Saturday.

For a rivalry that has consistently produced some of women’s cricket’s most-watched and best-attended matches, the diplomatic cold front between the two sides shows no sign of lifting anytime soon.

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