Pakistan captain Fatima Sana and Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur did not shake hands at the toss, as the latter won the toss and chose to bat first.
No-handshake policy
This is in continuation of the no-handshake policy between both teams, with the trend beginning when the men’s team refused handshakes in multi-national tournaments including Asia Cup and World Cups.
Initially, Pakistan men’s captain Salman Ali Agha and Indian men’s captain Suryakumar Yadav refrained from shaking hands after relations between both countries worsened following a brief military standoff in May 2025.
On the eve of the game, Indian captain Kaur said her team is here to focus on cricket when asked if she planned on shaking hands with her Pakistan counterpart at the toss.
India bat first
India won the toss and opted to bat first on what looked like a good batting surface in Birmingham. While India lost two quick wickets within the powerplay as they could only score 38 runs in the first six overs, a resilient stand between Harmanpreet and Smriti Mandhana helped them get out of trouble.
Pakistan and India have played 16 T20I games against each other, with India winning 13 of those. Their last face-off came in Dubai during the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, where India defeated Pakistan by six wickets.
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