Harmanpreet Kaur’s Team India will kick off their Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday evening at Edgbaston. While India have dominated this rivalry over the years,
games against Pakistan rarely come without added intensity, both on and off the field. However, the biggest talking point ahead of the match is whether players from the two sides will exchange handshakes.
Since last year’s Men’s Asia Cup, players from both the men’s and women’s teams have avoided customary handshakes with Pakistan. The same approach was seen in multiple tournaments, including the Women’s World Cup, U19 World Cup, Rising Stars Asia Cup, and the Men’s T20 World Cup.
On the eve of the match, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was asked about the possibility of handshakes and whether there had been any communication from the BCCI.
“Well, I think we are here for cricket, and we only talk about cricket; except for cricket, we don’t talk about anything, and I don’t even think about anything except cricket. Cricket has been our dream from day one, and we only talk about it. For tomorrow’s game, we are thinking of it as just another game we are going to play,” Harmanpreet told reporters.
“Definitely pressure is going to be there, which I earlier agreed to that, whenever we play against Pakistan, pressure will be there, but at the same time it’s only about how we are going to enjoy that pressure because in any International game, pressure is going to be there; it’s only about giving your 100% in that game and enjoying every moment,” she added.
India go into the contest as clear favourites, backed by a strong head-to-head record and better recent form. They lead Pakistan 13-3 in T20Is and 6-2 in Women’s T20 World Cups. Still, Harmanpreet acknowledged that pressure is always part of such encounters.
“I won’t say there’s no pressure; there is pressure. Since I started watching cricket as a supporter, I have felt that pressure, and now that we play, it’s even more. But at the same time, we always say that the more we enjoy this game, the better it is for us, because we are the lucky ones who are picked for this big occasion, and we just want to enjoy ourselves on the field,” said Harmanpreet.
