Tension resurfaced before the match between India and Pakistan at the stadium in Dubai. During the draw, the captains of India, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Pakistan, Fatima Sana, declined to shake hands.
Although exchanging handshakes after the draw is common practice in cricket, this tradition was not observed in this match. The distance between the two captains was evident during their meeting at the International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.
This is not the first instance of such behavior; the Indian team has recently adopted a policy of refusing handshakes in matches against Pakistan. A similar scene was also observed previously when these two captains met at the T20 World Cup.
Harmanpreet Kaur made a statement regarding external factors. When asked about paying attention to events off the field during the draw, she clearly stated that the entire team is focused solely on the game, and the players' attention is not diverted by what is happening outside the field.
Regarding the match itself, Pakistan's captain, Fatima Sana, won the toss and decided to start the game with a toss. The Indian team has already secured its place in the tournament semi-finals and aims to continue its successful run in this match.
The Indian team roster includes: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratik Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Barhati Phulmali, Rich Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Dipti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Nandni Sharma, Shri Charni, and Kranti Gaur.
The Pakistan team roster includes: Muniba Ali (wicketkeeper), Shawal Julfikar, Gul Firoza, Aisha Jaafar, Sadf Shammas, Fatima Sana (captain), Umm-e-Hani, Ayman Fatima, Tuba Hasan, Nashra Sandhu, and Sadia Iqbal.