On expected lines, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur refrained from shaking hands with her Pakistan counterpart Fatima Sana during the toss of their Women’s World Cup match, continuing the trend established by the men’s team during the Asia Cup earlier this year.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had reportedly advised the Indian players to avoid customary handshakes with members of the Pakistani team amid ongoing diplomatic and security tensions between the two countries.

Match referee Mel Jones conducted the toss ceremony, during which both captains maintained a visible distance. Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first against India.

India, who boast an unbeaten 11-0 record against Pakistan in ODIs, made one change to their playing XI — Renuka Singh came in to replace the injured Amanjot Kaur. Pakistan, meanwhile, brought in Sadaf Shamas for Omaima Sohail.

The strained relations between India and Pakistan have carried over into the sporting arena in recent months. During the men’s Asia Cup, players from both sides avoided handshakes before and after matches, and India notably declined to receive the Asia Cup trophy from ACC president Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and a minister in Pakistan’s government.

Tensions between the two nations have intensified following the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 Indian tourists were killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists. In response, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, a military action aimed at dismantling terror infrastructure across the border.

Playing XIs:

Pakistan Women: Muneeba Ali, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, Rameen Shamim, Aliya Riaz, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Fatima Sana (c), Natalia Pervaiz, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.

India Women: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani.