{
  "id": 3904864,
  "title": "'Our Focus Is Playing Cricket': Harmanpreet Kaur Dismisses Handshake With Fatima Sana Ahead Of IND Vs PAK Clash In Women's Asia Cup 2026 | VIDEO",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/our-focus-is-playing-cricket-harmanpreet-kaur-dismisses-handshake",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-28T05:48:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/our-focus-is-playing-cricket-harmanpreet-kaur-dismisses-handshake-with-fatima-sana-ahead-of-ind-vs-pak-clash-in-womens-asia-cup-2026-video"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "India's Harmanpreet Kaur has rejected the idea of shaking hands with her Pakistani counterpart ahead of their clash in the upcoming Women's Asia Cup 2026. Addressing the question at a press conference, Kaur emphasized that the team's sole focus was on cricket. She stated, \"We are not putting any focus on one particular team, which will be a challenge for us. All the teams have been performing well, and our main priority is to play good cricket without underestimating any team.\" Kaur's stance aligns with India's consistent refusal to shake hands with Pakistan since the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, impacting both sporting and bilateral relations. Despite the strained relations, Kaur has adhered to this tradition across Women's World Cups and the T20 World Cup, including the Women's Asia Cup 2026 in the UAE. India's Women will kick off their tournament against Thailand on September 1, followed by a match against Hong Kong on September 3, culminating in the highly anticipated IND vs PAK game on September 5.",
  "summary": "India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has ruled out shaking hands with her Pakistan counterpart when the two teams clash in the Women's Asia Cup 2026 next week. Kaur was posed the question during the pre-tournament captain's press conference, where she deflected it by suggesting the focus for her team was only on cricket. “We are not putting any focus on one particular team, which is going to be tough…",
  "key_points": [
    "Harmanpreet Kaur rejects handshake with Pakistani counterpart ahead of IND vs PAK clash.",
    "Team's sole focus is on cricket, not on any particular team.",
    "India's tradition of not shaking hands with Pakistan persists in Women's Asia Cup 2026."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}