COLOMBO: As was expected in the lead up to the contest, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana did not shake hands at the start of the Women’s World Cup match here in Colombo.
Since the first men’s Asia Cup game between the two countries in Dubai last month, where India captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with his counterpart Salman Agha, the on-field relations between two countries have taken a turn for the worse. Yadav dedicated the win to the Pahalgam terror attack victims and the Indian Armed forces following with the off-field drama that happened over the next few weeks.
It ended with the trophy being taken away after India refused to collect it from the ACC president and PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi who is also the Pakistan Interior minister. India celebrated the win without a trophy.
Meanwhile, the drama and the underlying tension has spilled over to the women’s World Cup as well with two captains not shaking hands at the toss. The Indian captain did not address the question directly when asked at the captains media day while no questions were taken on the eve of the match regarding the subject.
Soon as the two teams came to the ground on a cloudy Sunday afternoon, they went about their training on opposite sides of the ground. India head coach Amol Muzumdar led the team huddle with the captain making one change Amanjot Kaur, hero of the last game in Guwahati, is understood to be unwell and she was replaced by Renuka Singh Thakur. On Saturday, it was an optional training session with only Arundhati Reddy and Uma Chetri taking part in indoor practice because of the rain.
Even as the play began under bright sun, despite the rain forecast, soon the floodlights were on at the R Premadasa Stadium. India lost Smriti Mandhana early, to Pakistan skipper, and it brought Harleen Deol to the middle alongside Pratika Rawal.
Play has resumed in Colombo after a 15-minute delay in the blockbuster Women's World Cup 2025 clash between India and Pakistan. The game had been halted twice due to an increase in flies and bugs at the stadium, forcing players from both sides to leave the field while ground staff applied pest control spray.
Richa Ghosh played a crucial late innings, scoring 35 off 20 balls to help India reach 247 against Pakistan.
While senior all-rounders Deepti Sharma (25) and Sneh Rana (20) added 42 runs for the sixth wicket, it was Richa's 20-ball cameo that provided India with momentum in the closing stages.
Play was halted twice due to a swarm of flies and bugs at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium, forcing both teams off the field for 15 minutes as ground staff sprayed pest control.
Harleen Deol (46) narrowly missed her half-century, while Jemimah Rodrigues (32), Pratika Rawal (31), and Smriti Mandhana (23) failed to convert promising starts.
Rodrigues looked to accelerate and regain momentum, but Harmanpreet Kaur’s dismissal further dented India’s hopes. Earlier, Pratika Rawal had fallen to a brilliant delivery, leaving India under pressure after both openers departed early.
(With inputs from Online Desk)