The no-handshake policy continued during the India-Pakistan clash at the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai on Saturday.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana did not shake hands during the toss at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Fatima won the toss and was called over by former Sri Lanka cricketer Farveez Maharoof for the post-toss conversation. However, there was no handshake between the two captains either before or after the toss.

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India-Pakistan No-Handshake Policy Continues

The development was in line with the approach followed by Indian cricket teams across different levels since diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan increased in April 2025.

India head coach Amol Muzumdar had also avoided getting into the issue before the start of the tournament.

“We try to play the best cricket on the ground and off the field stuff, we don’t focus on it,” Muzumdar had said.

He added that the team was focused on taking things one game at a time and would address the matter when the two sides played each other.

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When Did the No-Handshake Tradition Start?

The no-handshake practice involving India and Pakistan was first seen during the 2025 Men’s Asia Cup in the UAE.

The Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team did not shake hands with Pakistan players during any of their three meetings in the tournament, including the final in Dubai.

The same approach was later followed by Indian teams in other competitions.

The Indian women’s team did not shake hands with Pakistan during their Women’s ODI World Cup match in Colombo in October 2025. Similar scenes were witnessed during the Men’s Rising Stars Asia Cup in November.

The protocol continued at the Under-19 Asia Cup in December, followed by the Under-19 World Cup and Men’s T20 World Cup in February 2026.

Harmanpreet Had Earlier Avoided a Clear Answer

The issue came up again ahead of the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup when Harmanpreet was asked whether the no-handshake policy would continue during the latest India-Pakistan meeting.

The India captain did not give a definite answer at the time.

However, Saturday’s toss in Dubai made the situation clear. Harmanpreet and Fatima did not exchange the traditional handshake, meaning the no-handshake protocol remains in place for India-Pakistan matches.