No-handshake policy reached Colombo, The Indian women’s team did not shake hands with Pakistani players. Learn more.

New Delhi. The Indian team played its second match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 against Pakistan on Sunday, October 5th. Held at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, the Indian team won by a resounding 88 runs. India had set Pakistan a target of 248 runs to win, but they could only score 159.

The no-handshake policy was observed in this match. During the toss, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur did not shake hands with Pakistani captain Fatima Sana. Even after the match, the Indian players did not shake hands with Pakistani players. Previously, the Indian men’s team had done so in the Asia Cup 2025. Indian players did not shake hands with Pakistani players in all three matches.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia had previously clarified that the board had not issued any instructions to players to shake hands with the Pakistani team. He stated, “There has been no change in policy. No instructions have been issued to players to shake hands. Our focus is solely on the game.”

Asia Cup Trophy Not Received from Mohsin Naqvi

This issue first emerged during the Men’s Asia Cup, when India and Pakistan faced each other three times. At that time, the Indian team avoided handshakes before and after the matches. Pakistani coach Mike Hesson claimed that the Indian team did so due to security and political sensitivities. Tensions escalated further when the Indian team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi.

The Indian government has already clarified that sporting relations with Pakistan will be limited to tournaments held at ICC or neutral venues. The last bilateral cricket series between the two countries was played in 2012-13. Pakistan’s team is staying in Colombo for the Women’s World Cup, while India’s matches are being played in Guwahati and Colombo. India made a strong start by defeating Sri Lanka by 59 runs in their first match.

Indian team’s playing XI: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Nallapureddy Charani, Kranti Goud.

Pakistan’s playing XI: Muneeba Ali, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, Rameen Shamim, Aliya Riaz, Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper), Fatima Sana (captain), Natalia Pervez, Diana Baig, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu.