Harmanpreet Kaur, Fatima Sana skip handshake at Asia Cup toss

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India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan captain Fatima Sana did not exchange the customary handshake during the toss before their Women’s Asia Cup 2026 match in Dubai on Saturday, September 5.

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Fatima Sana won the toss and chose to bat first. The captains then moved ahead with the pre-match proceedings without shaking hands, continuing a pattern reported in recent India-Pakistan cricket meetings.

A Times of India report said the captains also did not exchange a handshake when India and Pakistan met during the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup in Birmingham. No reason for the absence of the gesture was stated in the report.

Pakistan choose to set a total in Dubai

Pakistan elected to bat because Fatima Sana wanted her side to set a strong total and then rely on its bowling attack during the chase.

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Fatima Sana said Pakistan had discussed its earlier batting difficulties and planned to adjust to the pitch. Pakistan entered the match after beating Thailand and still had a group fixture against Hong Kong, China to play after facing India.

India were comfortable bowling first. Harmanpreet Kaur said India’s bowlers had performed well in the tournament and backed the attack to keep Pakistan to a manageable total.

India enter match with semi-final place secured

India had already qualified for the semi-finals after winning their opening two matches against Thailand and Hong Kong, China. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side entered the Pakistan fixture seeking a third consecutive group-stage victory.

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India had also won nine of the previous 10 T20 internationals against Pakistan, according to the source report. Pakistan’s only victory during that sequence came at the 2022 Asia Cup.

Harmanpreet reaches T20I captaincy milestone

Harmanpreet Kaur became the first cricketer, male or female, to captain a team in 150 T20 internationals when she led India in the Dubai match.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu was listed second with 121 T20Is as captain, while former Australia captain Meg Lanning was listed with 100. Harmanpreet Kaur described the landmark as a major achievement but said continuing to enjoy her time on the field remained the priority.

India and Pakistan playing XIs

India and Pakistan named the following teams for the Women’s Asia Cup match in Dubai.

Team Playing XI
India Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Nandani Sharma, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud
Pakistan Muneeba Ali (wicketkeeper), Shawaal Zulfiqar, Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Sadaf Shamas, Fatima Sana (captain), Umm-e-Hani, Eyman Fatima, Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal