{"id":190062,"date":"2025-10-04T18:36:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T18:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/190062\/"},"modified":"2025-10-04T18:36:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T18:36:12","slug":"india-vs-pakistan-icc-womens-world-cup-match-time-handshake-row-rain-cricket-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/190062\/","title":{"rendered":"India vs Pakistan \u2013 ICC Women\u2019s World Cup: Match time, handshake row, rain | Cricket News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who: India vs Pakistan
What: ICC Women\u2019s Cricket World Cup 2025
When: Sunday, October 5 at 09:30 GMT
Where: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport<\/a> will have live build-up from 06:30 GMT ahead of our text commentary stream.<\/p>\n

Cricket could take the backseat on yet another Sunday when India meet Pakistan in the ICC Women\u2019s World Cup 2025 in Colombo amid lingering political tension between the South Asian neighbours.<\/p>\n

Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n

The eagerly awaited group-stage fixture will likely be bookended by questions surrounding the now-infamous handshakes between both sides as the captains meet at the pre-match coin toss, and at the end of the match, when both squads traditionally step back on the field.<\/p>\n

When India and Pakistan\u2019s men\u2019s teams met in the Asia Cup 2025, the Indian team and its captain did not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts in all three fixtures at the tournament, leading to furore and backlash that marred the tournament.<\/p>\n

A top official of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has not ruled out a \u201cno handshake\u201d policy for the Women\u2019s World Cup fixture, as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether there will be handshakes, whether there will be hugging, I cannot assure you of anything,\u201d BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia told the BBC\u2019s Stumped podcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot forecast anything, but our relationship with that particular hostile country is the same. There is no change in the last week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Focus on the game\u2019<\/p>\n

While it may seem that cricket has been, once again, pushed into the background, both teams want to overlook the controversial build-up and focus on the game instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, we know what\u2019s happening around us, but we try to stay focused on the game because the World Cup is an event every player waits for,\u201d Pakistan\u2019s captain Fatima Sana said on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Sana, whose team were comprehensively beaten by Bangladesh in their opening match, said Pakistan will \u201cfocus on the tournament and on what we have come here for\u201d when asked to comment on the \u201coutside noise\u201d.<\/p>\n

The last time India played Pakistan at the Women\u2019s World Cup, the players\u2019 off-field interactions left an indelible mark on the game and earned widespread praise from the fans.<\/p>\n

At the 2022 tournament in New Zealand, Pakistan\u2019s then-captain Bismah Maroof was surrounded by a group of Indian players as they cooed over her six-month-old daughter Fatima.<\/p>\n

Jokes were shared, selfies were taken, and memories were made as players from the rival nations bonded outside their dressing rooms well after the match was over.<\/p>\n

Sana, who was part of the Pakistan squad in 2022, was asked whether the players will miss the spirit and camaraderie from three years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to maintain healthy relationships with every team,\u201d Sana replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened with Bismah\u2019s daughter, when everyone mingled and enjoyed together \u2013 as players, we all like such moments, but the main thing is to stay focused [on the game].\u201d<\/p>\n

When the same question was posed to India\u2019s bowling coach Aavishankar Salvi, the journalist was notified that India will not answer it.<\/p>\n

However, Salvi did say that India \u2013 who beat Sri Lanka in their opening game by 59 runs \u2013 will also \u201cfocus on the cricket\u201d on Sunday.<\/p>\n

#Throwback<\/a> to this beautiful moment from the 2022 World Cup involving Bismah Maroof’s daughter and Indian girls \u2764\ufe0f#CricketTwitter<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/PuxFEC5O1Y<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) April 25, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018The world will be watching\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want our girls to take it just as a game because the World Cup is a long campaign and there will be a lot of games coming our way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you enter a big tournament, the area of focus is only cricket, and it\u2019s good to have the players into a good [head] space.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fixture is expected to draw huge viewing figures and organisers will expect a sizeable crowd at the ground, as well.<\/p>\n

Sana, who also led Pakistan in their match against India in the T20 World Cup 2024, admitted such factors make it a high-pressure fixture and one that \u201cthe whole world will be watching\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is pressure but the main thing is how we handle it. We\u2019ll try to focus on our game, execute our plans, and play the way we\u2019ve prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

What happened in the last India vs Pakistan women\u2019s cricket match?<\/p>\n

The teams last met<\/a> in the ICC Women\u2019s T20 World Cup 2024 in Dubai, where India emerged victorious by six wickets.<\/p>\n

When was the last time Pakistan beat India in women\u2019s cricket?<\/p>\n

Pakistan have only beaten India on three occasions, the last of which came on October 7 at the T20 Women\u2019s Asia Cup 2022. Nida Dar\u2019s all-round performance sealed Pakistan\u2019s 13-run win in Bangladesh.<\/p>\n

Will it rain in Colombo during the India vs Pakistan match?<\/p>\n

Rain is expected in the early hours of Sunday in Khettarama, the neighbourhood that houses the R Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n

The weather will remain cloudy throughout the day, with light showers expected to return later in the evening, as well. This could lead to delays or disruption of play.<\/p>\n

There was plenty of rainfall on Saturday before Sri Lanka\u2019s match against Australia at the same venue. The persistent rain led to the match being called off without any play.<\/p>\n

\"AThe ground at the R Premadasa Stadium remained covered on Saturday as Sri Lanka vs Australia was abandoned due to rain [Ishara S Kodikara\/AFP]India vs Pakistan: Head-to-head in women\u2019s ODIs<\/p>\n

India hold an 11-0 lead over their neighbours in women\u2019s ODIs. All of India\u2019s wins have come with comfortable margins, including the 107-run victory at the ICC Women\u2019s World Cup 2022 in New Zealand.<\/p>\n

Players to watch: India
\nSmriti Mandhana: Widely regarded as the best limited-over batters in present-day women\u2019s cricket, Mandhana has swept most women\u2019s ODI records in the past two years. She is the top-ranked ODI batter by a distance and was the leading run-scorer in the format in 2024. The Indian vice-captain has scored four ODI centuries in 2025, the most by any player in the current year.
\nDeepti Sharma: The all-rounder poses an equal threat with bat and ball, and has performed well against Pakistan in previous encounters. Sharma\u2019s right-arm off-break bowling will be a big threat for Pakistan\u2019s batters. She took three wickets and scored 54 runs in India\u2019s World Cup opening win against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
\nPlayers to watch: Pakistan
\nSidra Amin: The veteran batter recently became the top ODI century-maker for her country with her sixth ton in the series against South Africa. She comes into the crucial match with good run-scoring form and is regarded as the mainstay of Pakistan\u2019s batting attack against a strong Indian bowling line-up.
\nNashra Sandhu: The unassuming slow left-arm bowler has been Pakistan\u2019s go-to spin option in recent years and is third on the list of top ODI wicket-takers for her country. Sandhu has taken 16 wickets in Pakistan\u2019s nine ODIs in 2025, including six in a match against South Africa on September 22.
\nForm guide: India<\/p>\n

India entered the World Cup with a home series loss and an away series win in the bag. They were tested by Sri Lanka in the tournament\u2019s opening game, but recovered well to begin their World Cup campaign with a win.<\/p>\n

Last five ODIs (latest result first): W L W L W L<\/p>\n

Form guide: Pakistan<\/p>\n

Pakistan\u2019s form has dipped after their five-match unbeaten run at home in the World Cup qualifiers, where they beat Bangladesh, Thailand and the West Indies to book a place in this tournament. Sana\u2019s team lost a home ODI series to South Africa and then suffered a dramatic batting collapse in their opening World Cup game against Bangladesh.<\/p>\n

Last five ODIs (latest result first): L W L L W<\/p>\n

Team news: India<\/p>\n

India are expected to name an unchanged XI for their second match of the tournament.<\/p>\n

Predicted XI: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Goud, Shree Charani.<\/p>\n

Team news: Pakistan<\/p>\n

Pakistan are likely to field the same XI that lost to Bangladesh, but there could be a case for replacing Natalia Pervaiz with in-form all-rounder Aroob Shah.<\/p>\n

Predicted XI: Muneeba Ali, Omaima Sohail, Sidra Amin, Rameen Shamim, Aliya Riaz, Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper), Fatima Sana (captain), Natalia Pervaiz, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.<\/p>\n