Will India Maintain No Handshake Policy with Pakistan in Women's ODI World Cup?

India and Pakistan will now face each other in the Women's World Cup. The clash will take place on 5 October in Colombo. With tensions between the two teams rising, has the BCCI decided to continue the No Handshake Policy?

As the Women's World Cup progresses, the clash between India and Pakistan also looms closer. This will be the fifth time in a year that both nations go against each other. The Men's team faced them four times, managing to win all the games. In the Asia Cup 2025,

When they clashed in the Group stages, the Indian team went back without any handshake. This started the No Handshake Row, bringing controversy to the game. Reportedly, the BCCI has also informed the India women's team to do the same in their clash against Pakistan Women.

1. No Handshakes at Asia Cup Clash

India and Pakistan faced each other three times in the Asia Cup 2025. But the first clash involving these two teams saw something controversial. After winning the game, the Indian team went back to the dressing room and skipped the handshake. The Pakistani players waited outside,

This incident triggered the Pakistani team to a great extent. The team even decided not to participate in the Asia Cup, as they didn't show up for the clash against the UAE. But with some talks with the ACC and ICC officials, they showed up to the game an hour late.

Further, India and Pakistan faced each other once again at the Super Fours. This time, India also came out victorious and didn't shake hands with them after the win. Although sledges took place throughout the game,

Both teams faced each other yet again in the Asia Cup finals. And it was expected that India would come out victorious and not shake hands. This happened, but the Indian team added more twists to the same. They didn't collect the trophy from the ACC Chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Interior Minister of Pakistan.

2. Why Did BCCI Ask Women Cricketers to Avoid Handshakes?

Since the men's team didn't shake hands with Pakistan, now it is time for the women's team to do the same. Such instructions have been given by the BCCI, as the boycott calls for India and Pakistan matches were persistent. With the matches being in multinational tournaments,

Moreover, the sledging between India and Pakistan mainly started with the Pakistan Women's team. In their previous matches, their players were spotted doing the jet crash gestures. The same gesture was also used by Haris Rauf when India and Pakistan faced each other in the Super Fours clash.

This gesture was meant to show that Pakistan had downed Indian jets during Operation Sindoor. Some videos also showcased the Pakistani Women's team players showing 6-0 to the fans. This is another political reference by the team, claiming that they had downed 6 Indian jets during the Operation Sindoor. However, it should be noted that all these claims remain senseless.