India and Pakistan captains again omit handshake at Women’s Asia Cup toss
Fatima Sana won the toss and chose to bat first in Dubai as Harmanpreet Kaur marked her 150th T20I as India captain.
India and Pakistan’s captains did not exchange the customary handshake before their Women’s Asia Cup match in Dubai, continuing a reported pattern in recent encounters between the teams.
Pakistan captain Fatima Sana won the toss and elected to bat first. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said her side was comfortable bowling first, with both teams already assured of places in the semi-finals.
The match marked Kaur’s 150th T20I as India captain. India entered the contest after opening wins against Thailand and Hong Kong, China, while Pakistan had beaten Thailand and still had a group-stage match against Hong Kong, China.
According to Yahoo Sports, India had won nine of their previous 10 women’s T20I meetings with Pakistan. The reported record includes India’s only defeat in that sequence, against Pakistan in the 2022 Asia Cup.
The omitted handshake was also reported to have occurred when the teams met at the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup in Birmingham. No reason was given for the captains’ decision before Saturday’s toss.
