Women’s World Cup: No handshake makes a return at India-Pakistan toss

No-handshake is the name of the game now in India-Pakistan cricket matches as the toss between the two teams in the ICC Women’s World Cup in Colombo showed again. Harmanpreet Kaur, the India captain, did a Suryakumar Yadav as she refused to acknowledge her counterpart Fatima Sana at the toss. 

 The ambience at R. Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka, where Pakistan will be playing all their league games and also knockout ones should they make it, was nowhere as charged during their clash of their men’s team in the recent Asia Cup. However, the tone was set beforehand with the BCCI top brass saying there was ‘no guarantee’ of a handshake – be at the toss or after the match – in keeping with the unwritten diktat.

  Harmanpreet and Fatima, the young Pakistan skipper, walked out separately and the duo did not even look at each other. Once the coin flip was done, the two captains spoke to the presenter Mel Jones and went on their way. Not quite cricket, one may say, but then the atmosphere has gone far too toxic and there is no going back – at least for now.

A heartening feature, away from the pitch, was that former Pakistan skipper Sana Mir was doing her duty as a TV pundit – after the furore in social media after her reference to ‘Azad Kashmir’ as the birthplace of team’s pacer Natalia Pervez. Mir and Anjum Chopra, former India skipper, were seen interacting as professionals in the commentary box.

 Memories of Indian team members spending time with the infant daughter of Bismah Mahroof, the then Pakistan captain, with Harmanpreet taking a selfie during their match of the 2022 T20 World Cup were in circulation ahead of this high profile game. When skipper Fatima was asked about where scenes of such bonhomie could be expected at the pre-match press conference, she was diplomatic as she said that the focus will be on the primary assignment of playing cricket.

 India, incidentally, stand tall in the head-to-head with a 11-0 in their favour – which includes four World Cup matches.

  From no handshakes to Pakistan players making provocative gestures, the men’s Asia Cup saw it all throughout September. The tournament ended with India refusing to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the head of the ACC and PCB.