India women's cricket team head coach Amol Muzumdar has refused to confirm whether the players will exchange handshakes with Pakistan during their upcoming Women's Asia Cup 2026 clash. Amol Muzumdar stated that they will avoid the off-field discussion and focus on preparations for the tournament.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team will face Thailand in their opening Group A match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on August 30. India will subsequently take on Hong Kong at the same venue in Dubai on September 3 before the highly anticipated rivalry encounter against Pakistan on September 5.
Amol Muzumdar Responds to India-Pakistan Handshake Question
Amol Muzumdar was asked about whether the players will shake hands with Pakistan during their Women's Asia Cup 2026 clash. Speaking at the pre-match press conference in Dubai, Amol Muzumdar said that the team would focus on its cricket rather than off-field matters.
"Look, we try to play the best cricket on the ground and off-the-field stuff, we don't focus on it. We try to play the best cricket that we know on that particular day and we will speak about this when we play that game. But at the moment, we are focusing on tomorrow's game. One game at a time," Amol Muzumdar said.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur also did not provide a clear answer when asked about the handshake protocol during her pre-tournament press conference. Muzumdar was also asked whether India were targeting a record eighth Women's Asia Cup title.
"I don't want to go too far ahead. One game at a time. We will focus on tomorrow's game," he said.
BCCI Continues No-Handshake Policy Against Pakistan
The BCCI started its no-handshake policy for matches against Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025. Indian players didn't shake hands with Pakistan players during all three meetings at the 2025 Men's Asia Cup, including the final.
The policy has been followed across senior and age-group cricket. The Indian women's team maintained it during their Women's ODI World Cup 2025 match against Pakistan in Colombo. Indian players also followed the same policy at the Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup and the Under-19 Asia Cup later that year.
Notably, the stance continued during the Under-19 World Cup and Men's T20 World Cup in February 2026. Most recently, Harmanpreet Kaur's team did not exchange handshakes with Pakistan during their Women's T20 World Cup 2026 clash in Birmingham, where India won by 64 runs.
India Aim to Continue Dominance in Women's Asia Cup
India will begin their Women's Asia Cup 2026 campaign against Thailand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on August 30. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. will then face Hong Kong on September 3 before meeting Pakistan in their Group A clash on September 5.
India are the most successful team in Women's Asia Cup history, having won seven of the nine editions played so far. Pakistan, meanwhile, have finished runners-up only once, in 2012. India have also dominated their previous T20I meetings against Pakistan in the tournament, winning five of their six encounters.
The Women in Blue secured a 64-run victory at Edgbaston in the latest meeting between the two sides at the Women's T20 World Cup 2026 in June. Their Women's Asia Cup clash in Dubai will begin at 6:30 pm local time and 8:00 pm IST on September 5.
