In another important incident, during the ICC Women World Cup 2025, the Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan's Fatima Sana did not shake hands during the toss just before the group stage game in Colombo.
This is a move that was adopted by the Indian men team at the Asia Cup earlier this year, where the same gestures were seen, given the political sensitives and the security considerations.
Harmanpreet Kaur Refuses To Shake Hands With Fatima Sana During India vs Pakistan Toss
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been very consistent in its policy regarding the interaction between Indian and Pakistani players. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia further acknowledged the board hasn't motivated players regarding shaking hands. 'All the roles we have are simply on the field and the game,' he stated. This stance aligns with that of the Indian government, which has limited sporting interactions with Pakistan to tournaments held at neutral or other world venues, with no bilateral series since 2012-13.
IND W vs PAK W Toss
No handshake policy has been said to be put in place even before the short lived conflict in April which followed a militant attack in India controlled Kashmir and this aggravated the relationship between the two countries diplomatically. Although there will be no physical expressions of sportsmanship, both the teams will follow the procedure set by International Cricket Council (ICC) that comprises traditional pre match and post match formalities. However, these protocols are left to the discretion of the teams involved.