In a uncommon show of sportsmanship amid strained bilateral ties, the ladies’s futsal captains of Pakistan and India shook fingers on the toss in the course of the SAFF Championship 2026 match at Nonthaburi Stadium on Monday, underscoring the spirit of the sport past politics.
Forward of the high-octane fixture, Pakistan captain Kayanat Bokhari offered a cultural memento to her Indian counterpart Jigmet Chunzen earlier than providing one another the customary handshake.
The arch rivals met thrice within the continental match, and Indian gamers noticeably averted post-toss and post-match handshakes with their Pakistan counterparts.
The controversy didn’t stay restricted to the lads’s occasions, as an identical scenario occurred on the ICC Ladies’s World Cup 2025, the place each groups’ captains, Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana, averted shaking fingers on the toss.
In the meantime, Diti Kanungo’s late strikes led India to a sensational 5-3 victory over arch-rivals Pakistan.
The enthralling fixture acquired off to a contrasting begin as Pakistan secured an early lead by way of their captain Kaya Bokhari, who netted the opener within the fourth minute.
India neutralised 10 minutes later by way of Arya Extra, forcing the match to stay tied at 1-1 at halftime.
Following the break, Pakistan pulled forward, with Azwa Chaudhry discovering the again of the web within the twenty sixth minute, whereas Anmol Hira bolstered the lead the next minute.
Ritika Singh and Khushbu Saroj helped India draw stage scoring within the subsequent two minutes, respectively.
With the scoreboard tied at 3-3, Kanungo made a decisive stride as she scored two targets within the thirty seventh and fortieth minutes to propel India to a come-from-behind 5-3 victory.
The victory marked India’s second within the SAFF Ladies’s Futsal Championship 2026 and boosted their hopes for qualifying for the semi-finals.
Pakistan, then again, suffered their first defeat within the seven-team match, ending their unbeaten run, which included a 1-1 stalemate in opposition to Bhutan within the marketing campaign opener, adopted by complete triumphs over Sri Lanka and Maldives.
