COLOMBO:

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur refused to shake hands with her Pakistani counterpart Fatima Sana at the toss and after winning the Women's World Cup cricket match on Sunday, mirroring the actions of her country's men's teams at the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month.

Kaur's gesture, or a lack thereof, came amid a lingering political frost between India and Pakistan that overshadowed the cricketing spectacle at Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, where India thrashed Pakistan by 88 runs.

There were no formal greetings between the teams before the national anthems, at the start of the match, nor any post-match handshakes, as players walked straight off to their dressing rooms after the game.

The unease was palpable even before the first ball was bowled.

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