India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has brushed aside questions surrounding the ongoing handshake controversy ahead of her side’s Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 opener against Pakistan, insisting that her team remains solely focused on cricket.
The highly anticipated Group 1 clash at Edgbaston on Sunday will mark the beginning of India’s campaign in the tournament. While India enter the contest as overwhelming favourites based on recent form and historical dominance, much of the pre-match discussion has centred around whether players from the two sides will exchange handshakes after the match.
Indian teams, across both men’s and women’s cricket, have largely avoided post-match handshakes with Pakistan in recent tournaments, including the Men’s Asia Cup, Women’s World Cup, Under-19 World Cup, Rising Stars Asia Cup and Men’s T20 World Cup. As a result, the issue resurfaced during Harmanpreet’s pre-match press conference. However, the India skipper made it clear that the team has no interest in distractions. “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,” Harmanpreet said.
The captain stressed that her players are treating the contest as another important fixture despite the heightened attention that always surrounds an India-Pakistan encounter. “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,” she added.
While Harmanpreet attempted to downplay the external noise, she acknowledged that pressure is inevitable whenever India and Pakistan meet on the world stage. India currently holds a commanding 13-3 advantage in overall women’s T20Is against Pakistan and have won six of their eight meetings in Women’s T20 World Cups, but the captain believes handling pressure will be crucial.
“Definitely pressure is going to be there. 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,” Harmanpreet said.
The 36-year-old believes embracing the occasion rather than fearing it is the key to success in major tournaments. India arrives in England as one of the contenders for the title, boasting a balanced squad featuring experienced campaigners and emerging stars. Pakistan, meanwhile, will look to draw inspiration from past upsets and start their tournament with a statement victory.
Despite India’s superior record, Harmanpreet warned against taking the occasion lightly, pointing out that pressure has always been part of the rivalry, even before she became an international cricketer. “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,” she said.
“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.”
As India prepares to take on Pakistan in one of the marquee fixtures of the tournament, Harmanpreet’s message is simple: block out the noise, embrace the pressure and keep the focus firmly on cricket.
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