By Asif Naveed
Web Desk; The spirit of cricket came under scrutiny once again on Sunday during the toss ceremony of the Pakistan–India ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 encounter, as the two captains refrained from the customary handshake.
At the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana won the toss and chose to field first. However, the tense atmosphere overshadowed the moment as both Fatima and India’s Harmanpreet Kaur walked away without exchanging handshakes — a gesture traditionally seen as a mark of mutual respect and sportsmanship.
This development comes against the backdrop of recent statements from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Earlier this week, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia told BBC that India’s policy toward Pakistan remained unchanged and gave no assurance regarding the handshake protocol for the October 5 match.
“I cannot forecast anything, but our relationship with that country [Pakistan] is the same; there is no change in the last week,” Saikia said.
The incident at the toss further intensifies the situation following India’s controversial behavior during the Asia Cup 2025, where the men’s team refused to shake hands with Pakistani players and made political remarks during post-match ceremonies.
Adding to the controversy, the Indian team declined to receive the winners’ trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The much-anticipated World Cup clash between the arch-rivals is taking place amid heightened political and sporting tensions.
Lineups:
Pakistan: Muneeba Ali, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, Rameen Shamim, Aliya Riaz, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Fatima Sana (c), Natalia Pervaiz, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.
India: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani.
