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The players of India and Pakistan have not shaken hands since the 2025 Asia Cup, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack early last year.
India’s Harmanpreet Kaur speaks as part of The Captains' Carnival, the activation event for the ICC Women's T20 cricket world cup 2026, in central London on June 7, 2026. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) (AFP)(HT_PRINT)India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has said that she and her team are only focussed on the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup match against Pakistan, and that her team is not leaning into the political side of things.
Ever since the 2025 Asia Cup, the Indian and Pakistan men's and women's players have skipped the customary handshakes in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir.
And as it is, the political relations between the two nations have been tense ever since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. For more than a decade, India and Pakistan have only locked horns in ICC and ACC tournaments.
‘We are here for cricket’: Harmanpreet Kaur
However, Harmanpreet Kaur does not want to bring in political matters to cricket. "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. 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 told reporters at a pre-match press conference on Saturday.
While Harmanpreet did term the Pakistan clash as "just another game", she admitted that match pressure is inevitable whenever India take on Pakistan. In 16 women's T20I meetings against Pakistan, India have won 13 of those matches.
"Definitely pressure is going to be there, which I earlier agreed to; 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; it's only about giving your 100% in that game and enjoying each and every moment," she said.
India went onto clinch their maiden Women's ODI World Cup title in 2025, and the expectations are high from the Women in Blue to go all the way in the Women's T20 World Cup as well. She elaborated on her earlier point of pressure being inevitable in big games.
"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.
"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," she explained.
"I think, more than anything, it is another game we are going to play tomorrow and we just want to play our best cricket," added Harmanpreet.
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