Did India Women Handshake with Pakistan Women in Blind Cricket World Cup?

Just a couple of weeks ago, the India women’s cricket team made history by lifting the World Cup. Another remarkable group of women cricketers is capturing attention: the India blind women’s cricket team, competing in the inaugural Blind Women’s T20 World Cup. After securing victories in their opening two matches in Delhi and a third win in Bengaluru, the team went on to beat Pakistan by eight wickets, earning a well-deserved spot in the semi-finals. Some of the best women's cricketers have backed this tournament and shown their much-needed support.

The 2025 Women’s Blind T20 World Cup is a landmark moment for the sport, as it is the first-ever global tournament dedicated entirely to visually impaired women. It is huge for the sport and shows how far cricket has grown. The tournament is being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from 11 to 23 November 2025 and has teams from India, Australia, England, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the USA, with New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Colombo as the venues.

In an interesting moment during the 2025 Women’s Blind T20 World Cup, the players from India and Pakistan walked toward each other after the match and exchanged genuine smiles and handshakes. Unlike the tense encounters that occurred between the national teams of both countries in recent matches, there was no handshake between the two rival nations.

Blind Women World Cup Handshake Moment Between India and Pakistan

During the IND vs PAK Blind Women Cricket World Cup match, the women in blue outplayed Pakistan with an eight-wicket victory at the BOI Grounds in Katunayake, Sri Lanka, which is one of the most beautiful cricket stadiums in the world. Pakistan’s innings began with all sorts of trouble as they were 23 for 4, but they managed to find some stability due to a fighting 66 from Mehreen Ali and a 44 from Bushra Ashraf.

When it was India’s turn to bat, they chased the target with ease. Captain Deepika T.C. set the tone with a rapid 45 from just 21 balls, while Anekha Devi scored an unbeaten 64 off 34 deliveries. Her performance earned her the Player of the Match.

Tensions between India and Pakistan’s cricket teams have been visible in recent months. The IND vs PAK handshake saga began after the men’s squads refused to shake hands at the Asia Cup in September, and the women’s teams followed during the ODI World Cup; even the men’s Rising Stars Asia Cup clash in Doha saw no greeting. Many expected India’s blind women cricketers to follow the same pattern, especially after no handshake occurred at the toss. However, they turned out as exceptions.

At the end of the play, both sides came together with smiles and handshakes. The teams had even travelled to the venue on the same bus. Pakistan captain Nimra Rafique congratulated India on their win, while India’s skipper T. C. Deepika praised Pakistan for their performance.

What are the Rules of Blind Cricket?

Blind cricket follows the same basic principles as conventional cricket but includes some changes to make the game accessible for visually impaired players. Athletes are classified into three groups: B1, B2, and B3, depending on their level of vision loss. Bowling is always performed underarm, and the ball, which contains small bells to make it audible, is delivered along the ground rather than bouncing.

The batsman is given a verbal cue from the wicketkeeper before the ball is bowled. Additionally, runs scored by completely blind players in the B1 category are counted double toward the team’s total. Each team is required to have a minimum of four B1 players, who are totally blind, and at least three B2 players, who are partially blind. Additionally, a maximum of four B3 players, who are partially sighted, can be included in the team.