Following the precedent set by the Indian men’s team during the Asia Cup in Dubai, Harmanpreet Kaur and her side will not exchange customary handshakes with Pakistan players in their Women’s World Cup clash in Colombo on October 5.
Indo-Pak cricketing ties remain at their lowest, further strained after PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi refused to hand over the winner’s trophy to Suryakumar Yadav in Dubai. The Indian men had already declined to accept the trophy from a Pakistan representative.
“The BCCI is aligned with the government, and there will be no handshake at the toss, no joint photo with the match referee, and no post-match handshakes. The same policy followed by the men will apply to the women,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Attention will also be on who conducts the toss in Colombo, with expectations pointing to a former cricketer or neutral pundit.
The scene will mark a sharp contrast to the 2022 ODI World Cup in New Zealand, when Indian players were seen warmly interacting with Bismah Maroof’s infant daughter. This time, however, even basic courtesies between Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana appear unlikely.
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