In a continuation of the ongoing no-handshake saga, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her Pakistani counterpart Fatima Sana once again refrained from exchanging the customary handshake during the toss before their Women’s Asia Cup 2026 match in Dubai on Saturday. This incident marks yet another chapter in a series of encounters between the two cricketing rivals, where the handshake has been notably absent since last year.
Fatima Sana won the toss and opted to bat first, setting the stage for a highly anticipated clash. The absence of the handshake has become a familiar sight in India-Pakistan cricket, having also been observed during their meeting at the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup in Birmingham. Despite the ongoing tensions, the focus quickly shifted to the match itself, with Pakistan looking to establish a formidable total after choosing to bat.
“We’re gonna bat first because we want to put a maximum total here. [Did the last game influence this decision?] Yeah, because we know we have a good bowling side, so we will try to restrict them. [How have you addressed the batting wobble?] We had a good chat with the team, and we just want to play according to the pitch,” said Sana, reflecting on her team’s strategy.
India entered this match in a strong position, having secured victories in their opening two matches against Thailand and Hong Kong, China, which guaranteed them a spot in the semi-finals. Pakistan, on the other hand, began their campaign with a win over Thailand and still has a crucial group-stage match against Hong Kong, China following this encounter with India.
Historically, India has dominated their recent T20I meetings with Pakistan, winning nine of the last ten encounters. Their only defeat during this stretch occurred in the 2022 Asia Cup, underscoring the competitive nature of these matches. Harmanpreet expressed confidence in her bowling attack, stating, “Our bowling is doing great in this tournament, and good to get the opportunity to bowl first. [How challenging is chasing?] I think while batting it’s always about giving ourselves some time and then going for your shots. And I think the first two games we did really well in that department, and hopefully we’ll continue.”
In addition to the match's significance, Harmanpreet Kaur achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first cricketer, male or female, to captain in 150 T20I matches. This landmark achievement coincided with a match where India aimed to complete a perfect three wins from three in the group stage. Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu follows her with 121 matches as captain, while Australia’s Meg Lanning has led in 100 matches.
As the teams prepared for the match, the playing XIs were confirmed: India fielded a strong lineup including Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, and Richa Ghosh, while Pakistan featured Muneeba Ali, Ayesha Zafar, and Fatima Sana among their ranks. The stage was set for an exciting encounter, with both teams eager to assert their dominance in the tournament.
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