'Off-field stuff, we don’t focus on it': Muzumdar refuses to be drawn into India-Pakistan handshake debate

India women's head coach Amol Muzumdar on Saturday refused to be drawn into questions over the handshake protocol ahead of the team's Women's Asia Cup clash against Pakistan on September 5.With India set to face Pakistan again, Muzumdar said the team was focused solely on its opening game against Thailand on Sunday and would address the issue when the two sides meet.“We try to play the best cricket on the ground and off the field stuff, we don't focus on it. We try to play the best cricket that we know on that particular day. We will speak about this when we play that game. But at the moment, we are focusing on tomorrow's game. One game at a time,” Muzumdar said at the pre-match press conference.Handshake protocol continuesThe no-handshake stance between Indian and Pakistani cricket teams has been in place since the 2025 Men's Asia Cup, following the Pahalgam terror attack in April that year. India avoided handshakes with Pakistan in all three meetings during that tournament, including the final. The stance was subsequently maintained across senior, women's and age-group cricket.The Indian women's team followed the protocol during their Women's ODI World Cup meeting with Pakistan in Colombo in October 2025. It was also observed during the Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup, the Under-19 Asia Cup, the Under-19 World Cup and the Men's T20 World Cup.The stance continued during the Women's T20 World Cup clash between India and Pakistan in Birmingham in June 2026, when Harmanpreet Kaur's team again did not exchange handshakes with their opponents.India look to move on from poor T20I formMuzumdar also played down India's recent T20I record, with the team having lost nine of their 16 matches this year. The coach acknowledged that there is plenty of room for improvement but backed the young side to develop its aggressive style of cricket.“We don't pay too much attention to the form. You are talking about 16 T20Is in the last six months. But at the same time, we know what scope of improvement this team has got,” he said.“There is a huge scope of improvement. There is a young side. We are trying to play some good cricket, good aggressive cricket,'' he added.India will begin their Women's T20 Asia Cup campaign against Thailand on Sunday before turning their attention to the much-anticipated Pakistan clash on September 5.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.