Pakistan and Indian gamers shake arms after the toss through the SAFF Championship 2026. — Reporter
In a uncommon show of sportsmanship amid strained bilateral ties, the ladies’s futsal captains of Pakistan and India shook arms on the toss through 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 introduced 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 event, and Indian gamers noticeably averted post-toss and post-match handshakes with their Pakistan counterparts.
The controversy didn’t stay restricted to the boys’s occasions, as an identical state of affairs occurred on the ICC Girls’s World Cup 2025, the place each groups’ captains, Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana, averted shaking arms 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 received off to a contrasting begin as Pakistan secured an early lead by means of their captain Kaya Bokhari, who netted the opener within the fourth minute.
India neutralised 10 minutes later by means of Arya Extra, forcing the match to stay tied at 1-1 at halftime.
Ritika Singh and Khushbu Saroj helped India draw degree 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 Girls’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 event, ending their unbeaten run, which included a 1-1 stalemate towards Bhutan within the marketing campaign opener, adopted by complete triumphs over Sri Lanka and Maldives.
