Pakistan's Fatima, India's Rodrigues exchange customary handshake at The Hundred
Interaction between Fatima and Rodrigues contradicts 'no handshake' protocol between two fierce rivals
SOUTHAMPTON: Pakistan captain Fatima Sana and India's middle-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues stole the spotlight with their mutual camaraderie following The Hundred women's competition match between Birmingham Phoenix and Southern Braves here at The Rose Bowl on Thursday.
The incident occurred following the conclusion of the aforementioned fixture, which saw Rodrigues' Braves prevail by 24 runs against Fatima's Phoenix as the two cricketers exchanged handshakes before sharing a warm hug, a gesture that quickly went viral on social media.
The interaction drew attention as it contrasted with the reported "no handshake" protocol followed during recent Pakistan-India international matches amid strained bilateral relations.
Indian captains have reportedly adopted a consistent approach of avoiding the customary pre-match and post-match handshakes with their Pakistani counterparts across multiple international tournaments and formats, marking a departure from a long-standing cricketing tradition.
The trend first drew widespread attention during the ACC Men's Asia Cup in Dubai in September 2025.
On that occasion, India captain Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates did not take part in the customary handshakes before or after their group-stage fixture against Pakistan. The approach was maintained throughout the tournament, including during the final.
Similar scenes were witnessed at subsequent ICC events. During the ICC U19 World Cup in Bulawayo in February 2026, India U19 captain Ayush Mhatre also did not exchange a handshake with Pakistan skipper Farhan Yousaf at the toss.
A month later, at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Colombo, Suryakumar again refrained from participating in the traditional handshake with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha before and after the teams' meeting.
The pattern continued at the ICC Women's ODI World Cup in Colombo in June 2026, where Harmanpreet and Fatima likewise did not engage in the customary handshake at the toss.
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