Harmanpreet Kaur issues blunt response to IND-PAK handshake row:India skipper says ‘only talk about cricket’ before Women’s T20 WC clash

After the ICC men’s T20 World Cup, India and Pakistan are set to face each other again, but in a different ICC event, the Women’s T20 World Cup. Ahead of the high-octane clash today, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur emphasised that cricket remains the only topic of discussion between teammates, adding that her side is fully focused on the game rather than anything beyond it. While speaking to the reporters on the eve of the match between arch-rivals, Kaur acknowledged that matches against Pakistan always come with added pressure, but stressed that the key is to embrace and enjoy that challenge. It’s worth noting that during last year’s ODI World Cup match, Harmanpreet and Pakistan captain Fatima Sana did not exchange a handshake during the toss. ‘We only talk about cricket’: Harmanpreet Kaur on handshake stance Before facing Pakistan at Edgbaston in the Group 1 fixture, Harmanpreet Kaur told the media whether she would shake hands with the Pakistan captain. Responding to the query, she said: “I think we are here for cricket, and we only talk about cricket, except that we don’t talk about anything, and I don’t even talk about anything except cricket. Cricket has been our dream from day one, and we only discuss cricket and tomorrow’s game, we are only thinking about it. It’s another game which we are going to play.” Despite noting that Pakistan group fixture as another game, the Indian national women’s team captain did admit that such games come with pressure. Handshake controversy extended to Women’s cricket last year Last year’s Women’s ODI World Cup also got embroiled in controversy after a BCCI official confirmed that the Indian women’s team would not shake hands with Pakistani players. The official stated that the Board was acting in accordance with the government’s directive. That’s why there was no handshake at the toss, no joint photo with the match referee, and no handshake after the game ended during the women’s one-day World Cup. The stance mirrored the Asia Cup 2025, where the Indian men’s team avoided handshakes with Pakistan in all three of their matches, despite winning each of them. Asia Cup Trophy Controversy The handshake row comes on the back of a bigger controversy from the Asia Cup final in Dubai on September 28. India defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets but refused to accept the trophy from ACC President Mohsin Naqvi. Captain Suryakumar Yadav declined the presentation, forcing Naqvi to take the trophy back with him. Later, during the ACC’s Annual General Meeting, BCCI officials questioned why the trophy was not formally handed to the champions. Naqvi defended himself, saying he had no written notice and claimed, “I was standing there like a cartoon without any reason.”