• Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana says focus solely on game.
• India enjoy unbeaten record against Pakistan in Women’s ODIs.
• No handshakes expected as BCCI hints at continuing policy.
  

COLOMBO: Pakistan and India are set to face off today in a much-anticipated match of the ongoing ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka’s Colombo.

Pakistan suffered a massive defeat against Bangladesh in their first encounter of the tournament, while India managed to defeat Sri Lanka in the Women’s Cricket World Cup opener.

The match is likely to be affected by rain, with forecasts predicting intermittent showers throughout the day. Rain is expected before the match begins and may continue at varying intensities during the game.

Colombo has already seen heavy rainfall recently, and yesterday’s match between Sri Lanka and Australia was called off due to persistent showers.

Statistics show that Pakistan have never beaten India in women’s ODIs, with the two teams facing each other 11 times, where India has emerged victorious on all occasions.

The tournament is taking place from September 30 to November 2 in India and Sri Lanka, and Pakistan will play all their group-stage matches at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.

If Pakistan advance to the semi-final on October 29 and the final on November 2, both matches will also be held in Colombo.

‘No handshakes’

Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia said that the policy about Pakistan will remain unchanged in their upcoming clash in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

In an interview with BBC, the BCCI secretary stated that there was no assurance that Indian players will shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during their upcoming game in Colombo on October 5.

“I cannot forecast anything, but our relationship with that country [Pakistan] is the same; there is no change in the last week,” said Saikia.

“India will play that match against Pakistan in Colombo, and all cricket protocols will be followed. I can only assure that whatever is in the MCC [Marylebone Cricket Club] regulations of cricket, that will be done.

“Whether there will be handshakes, whether there will be hugging, I cannot assure you of anything at this moment,” he added.

His comments come in the backdrop of India’s controversial and widely condemned conduct during the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025, where the men’s team refused to shake hands with Pakistan players and made political statements during post-match ceremonies and press conferences.

India also refused to collect the winners’ trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

‘Focus solely on game’

Addressing a pre-match presser on Saturday, Pakistan women’s cricket captain Fatima Sana said that her team is solely focused on the game.

However, Fatima was still asked to share whether she would miss the spirit and camaraderie between the two teams, referencing their off-field interactions after their match at the 2022 edition of the mega event, when the Indian players surrounded then Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof and cooed over her six-month-old daughter.

Fatima, who was a part of the national team then, in response, reiterated Pakistan’s stance of fulfilling the spirit but stressed that their primary objective is to ‘stay focused’ on the game.

“Our main goal is to play well. Our relationship with the other teams is good. We will try to fulfil the spirit of the game,” said Fatima.

“What happened before, like with Bismah’s daughter, when everyone mingled and enjoyed together, as players, we all like such moments. But the main thing is to stay focused on what we have come here for,” she added.

The Pakistan captain also dismissed the notion of odds being against them as they trail India by 11-0 in their head-to-head record in the Women’s ODIs and instead stressed that her team has the potential to beat any top side, stating that the records are meant to be broken.