Watch: Fatima Sana celebrates Harmanpreet's wicket with aggressive send-off after handshake snub — Women's T20 World Cup 2026

The clash between India Women and Pakistan Women in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 was filled with lots of drama before and during the match. India registered a decent total of 170/6 but it was an incident involving Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana became the major talking point on social media. 

The spotlight first fell on the toss, where Harmanpreet and Fatima did not exchange the customary handshake. Later in the match, Fatima removed her Indian counterpart and celebrated passionately, creating another viral moment in this high-profile rivalry.

Snubbed and fired up — How Harmanpreet Kaur's handshake refusal sparked Fatima Sana's most aggressive celebration

The drama unfolded in the 17th over of India's innings. Fatima Sana bowled a good-length delivery on the pads and Harmanpreet tried to whip it towards the leg-side boundary. However, she failed to get enough elevation and Natalia Pervaiz completed a safe catch at deep square leg.

Harmanpreet was dismissed for 36 runs off 35 balls, hitting four boundaries. Fatima celebrated the wicket passionately, with a fist pump and an aggressive send-off as soon as the catch was taken. The moment was captured and quickly went viral, with fans comparing it to the earlier handshake incident at the toss. 

Watch the video here

See Also: Watch: Pakistan celebrate aggressively after Jemimah Rodrigues' wicket — Women's T20 World Cup 2026

For Pakistan, it was a huge breakthrough as Harmanpreet and Smriti Mandhana had already added a crucial partnership that put India in a strong position.

Handshake or snub? — What really happened between Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana before the send-off

The incident began before a ball was bowled. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Harmanpreet moved directly towards broadcaster Mel Jones for her interview instead of exchanging a handshake with Fatima Sana.

Once the interview was completed, Harmanpreet walked away, and the moment quickly spread across social media. It was the second straight ICC tournament in which the two captains did not exchange a handshake before an India-Pakistan match.

The no-handshake trend has become increasingly common in India-Pakistan cricket matches since 2025. Similar scenes were seen during men's international matches, youth tournaments, and other recent meetings between the two countries.

India women post 170/6 against Pakistan — But Harmanpreet's Handshake snub steals all the headlines

India Women elected to bat first and posted a strong 170/6 in 20 overs. Smriti Mandhana led the way with a superb 68 off 44 balls, hitting 9 fours and 2 sixes. After India slipped to 24/2, Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur added a crucial 91-run partnership to rebuild the innings.

See also: Babar Azam shares heartfelt message for Pakistan Women ahead of Women's T20 World Cup 2026

Harmanpreet contributed 36 off 35 balls, while Richa Ghosh provided the finishing touch with a brilliant 34 not out from 17 deliveries. Shafali Verma scored 6, while Bharti Fulmali managed 1.

For Pakistan, captain Fatima Sana was the standout bowler with 2/23 in four overs. Sadia Iqbal also picked up two wickets, while Rameen Shamim dismissed Mandhana and Rubab claimed one wicket.

Follow the live scorecard of India vs Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup 2026- 

Pakistan Women are 56/2 in 7.1 overs, with Gull Feroza batting on 26 and Sidra Amin on 18. Pakistan still needs 115 runs from 77 balls to win the match.