India Women told to avoid handshakes with Pakistan in Colombo clash

October 1, 2025

New Delhi: In a continuation of the stand taken during the men’s Asia Cup campaign, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has advised the national women’s team not to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during their ICC Women’s World Cup league game in Colombo on Sunday.

According to BCCI sources, the message was delivered just before the team departed for Sri Lanka on Wednesday. “The team won’t be shaking hands with the Pakistan team during the World Cup. The players have been informed by the BCCI bosses, and the board will stand by them,” the sources said.

The directive comes against the backdrop of rising tensions between the BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) following the Asia Cup final in Dubai. The Indian men’s team, which faced Pakistan thrice in the tournament, refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister. The dispute escalated after the BCCI accused Naqvi of taking away the trophy, leading to a heated exchange at Tuesday’s online ACC meeting.

Naqvi has since denied reports of apologising, posting on X that he has “done nothing wrong” and will “never apologise” to the BCCI. He added that if India wanted the Asia Cup trophy, they were “welcome” to collect it from the ACC headquarters.

For the women’s team, the clash against Pakistan will be their second league fixture after defeating Sri Lanka in their opener on Tuesday. The match, played in Sri Lanka due to both boards’ agreement to meet only at neutral venues, will mark the fourth consecutive Sunday featuring an India-Pakistan encounter in a politically charged cricketing atmosphere.

The tensions mirror strained diplomatic relations following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ against terror infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.