Harmanpreet Kaur To Follow SuryaKumar Yadav's No Handshake Policy. (Image Credit: ANI)
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has declined to shake hands with Pakistan counterpart Fatima Sana at the toss during the upcoming Women ODI world cup league game in Colombo on october 5th, and the Indian team will not also follow the handshake ritual after the match against Pakistan.
This ruling is a reflection of a similar stand of the Indian men’s team at the Asia Cup also when they declined to shake hands with the Pakistani players. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the status of the same, ‘our relationship with the hostile country is unchanged and no different than last week’. He further stated that though there will be no handshakes, the rest of the cricketing rules that are defined by the MCC rules will be observed. According to reports done by ICC officials, handshakes are not obligatory in their tournaments although such gestures are observed to add more flavor in the spirit of sport. The BCCI argues that the Indian team of women will not be contravening any formal rule of the tournament by refusing to shake hands.
The decision has been stoked by background tensions between the countries. In response to a Pahalgam terror attack in April that took away the lives of 26 civilians, India began Operation Sindoor and there has been great public and political feeling towards Pakistan. The anti Pakistan sentiment in the Indian populace rhetoric has become more pronounced, and even slogans have been raised to stop all cricketing ties. But the BCCI, acting on the recommendation of the government, has insisted that India could still only play Pakistan in multi team tournaments.
Pakistan women will be based in Colombo, where they will play all their matches in the World Cup, despite the majority of the tournament being based in India. India had earlier declined to travel to Pakistan to compete in the champions trophy and it happened that those matches were played in neutral Dubai, Pakistan had also been requested to play in neutral venues when it was their time to host India. Therefore, the non handshake gesture is symbolic prolongation of the overall geopolitical and diplomatic tension between two countries, which is manifested even in the protocol of the cricket game.
Also Read: India-Pakistan Asia Cup Final: The Trophy Controversy That’s Dividing Fans, Wasim Mulla Speaks Out
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