India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan captain Fatima Sana avoided shaking hands at the toss on 14 June 2026 before their Group A match at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Edgbaston, Birmingham. This continues an ongoing "no-handshake policy" followed by Indian cricket teams during matches against Pakistan. The International Cricket Council (ICC) knows about the situation. Because handshakes are classified as a "customary courtesy" and not a hard rule, match officials simply brief both teams separately before the game. When the coin was flipped in Birmingham, Harmanpreet won the toss and chose to bat. She immediately turned her back to Fatima Sana to speak directly to the presenter, Mel Jones. There was no anger or physical standoff; both captains simply smiled and looked past each other.

This was the second consecutive major tournament where Harmanpreet and Fatima skipped greetings, following a similar moment at the Women's ODI World Cup in Colombo. This norm began in 2025 when then-men's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav declined to shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart during the Asia Cup. Since then, senior, junior, and women's teams have held the same boundary.Before the match, Harmanpreet brushed off questions about the handshake stance. She stated that her squad is focused strictly on playing cricket and pays no attention to off-field gestures. While the players remain highly competitive on the field, the handshake ban is dictated by higher diplomatic boundaries that athletes from both nations are required to follow.

Smriti Mandhana scores crucial 68 runs while India still struggles with loss of 4 wickets 

Smriti Mandhana played a lone warrior knock, smashing 68 runs off just 44 balls to keep India alive while the rest of the batting order crumbled around her.Her explosive half-century became the only saving grace for India Women, who suffered a massive collapse to sit in a tough spot at 120/4 after 15.4 overs at Edgbaston Stadium. When India was left reeling at 30/2 inside the first 5 overs, Mandhana completely shifted gears. Instead of defending, she attacked Pakistan's spinners. She completed her crucial half-century in just 34 balls, slamming a massive six by dancing down the track against Tasmia Rubab. Mandhana punished the bowling unit by hitting 9 crisp fours and 2 huge sixes, carrying a brilliant strike rate of 154.55. After being dropped twice on 27 and 61, her luck ran out in the 14th over. 

She tried to clear the boundary again but was caught off Rameen Shamim's delivery, leaving the field with 68 runs. Pakistan's bowlers dismantled India's batting order with a highly disciplined attack, taking four quick wickets to stall India's momentum. Opening batter Shafali Verma fell for just 6 runs in the first over, edging a sharp delivery from left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal straight to the wicketkeeper. Jemimah Rodrigues followed soon after for a single run, mistiming a shot off Tasmia Rubab that resulted in a high top-edge safely caught by the fielders. Smriti Mandhana kept India alive with a brilliant, aggressive knock of 68 runs, but she was eventually caught out trying to clear the boundary against Rameen Shamim. Finally, Bharti Fulmali was dismissed cheaply for 1 run by Sadia Iqbal, triggering a severe collapse right around the 110-run mark.