A short clip of Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur appearing to miss each other in the handshake line has gone viral after India’s 3-0 ODI series win over Zimbabwe. It has started fresh talk of a rift between India’s new captain and the player she replaced three weeks ago.
Here is what the video shows, what both players have said since the captaincy change, and what is actually confirmed.
What the Viral Video Shows
The clip comes from the end of the third ODI in Vadodara on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. As the teams lined up for handshakes, Harmanpreet moved towards Mandhana while Mandhana looked the other way, and the two did not shake hands.
The replay was posted on X the next morning and had been viewed nearly 300,000 times by Thursday afternoon. Shorter versions of about five seconds are doing the rounds on Instagram, with captions calling the pair the Kohli and Gambhir of women’s cricket.
The footage covers only a few seconds of the handshakes, so it cannot tell you whether the miss was deliberate.
This Is the Second Clip in Eight Days
A similar video spread after the third T20I in Raipur on 20 October, when India beat Zimbabwe by 92 runs to win that series 3-0. Fans claimed Mandhana greeted her other teammates but not Harmanpreet.
Harmanpreet was the star of that night, with 91 not out off 41 balls.
Why Fans Are Talking About a Rift
The timing is the reason. Harmanpreet stepped down as India captain in all three formats on 6 October, after a BCCI review meeting in Guwahati, and Mandhana was named in her place. The Zimbabwe series was Mandhana’s first as full-time captain.
A day later, reports quoting a team source claimed the two had not been seeing eye to eye for some time and that it had caused unease in the dressing room. Neither player has confirmed that.
What Harmanpreet Has Said About Mandhana
Harmanpreet’s own words point the other way. When she stepped down, she said she was happy that Mandhana, who has played alongside her for more than a decade, was taking over. She said the two have a strong understanding and that she would support Mandhana as captain.
She also explained why she gave up the job: to enjoy the game more, focus on her own cricket and spend time with family and friends. After the Raipur T20I, she said she no longer felt any pressure and just wanted to enjoy her batting.
Neither player, the team management nor the BCCI has said anything about either handshake clip.
Timeline Since the Captaincy Change
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 6 October 2026 | Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as captain in all formats, and Smriti Mandhana takes over |
| 7 October 2026 | Reports quoting a team source claim the two had not been seeing eye to eye. Harmanpreet says she is happy Mandhana is captain and will support her |
| 20 October 2026 | India win the third T20I in Raipur by 92 runs for a 3-0 series win. The first handshake clip goes viral |
| 23 October 2026 | India win the first ODI in Vadodara by nine wickets |
| 25 October 2026 | Harmanpreet scores 126 in the second ODI as India win by 121 runs, and Mandhana applauds her hundred |
| 28 October 2026 | India win the third ODI by eight wickets for a 3-0 sweep. The second handshake clip goes viral |
What Is Confirmed and What Is Not
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| Harmanpreet stepped down and Mandhana is now captain | Confirmed |
| The two did not shake hands in the two viral clips | Seen on video, for a few seconds each time |
| The pair have fallen out | Not confirmed by either player or the BCCI |
| The miss in Vadodara was deliberate | Not shown by the clip |
On the Field, India Have Not Missed a Beat
Whatever is happening off camera, the results under Mandhana have been perfect so far: six matches against Zimbabwe, six wins.
Harmanpreet has been in fine form too. Her 126 off 121 balls in the second ODI was her eighth ODI hundred, which took her past Mithali Raj into second place on India’s list of ODI century-makers, behind Mandhana. She added 153 with Deepti Sharma, who made 106 not out.
In the third ODI, Vaishnavi Sharma took 5 for 39 to bowl Zimbabwe out for 131. Pratika Rawal (59 not out) and Shafali Verma (51 not out) then finished the chase in 17 overs.
What Comes Next
India’s next assignment is a tour of South Africa, starting with a one-off Test from 9 December, followed by three ODIs and three T20Is. Both players were also retained for WPL 2027, Mandhana by Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Harmanpreet by Mumbai Indians.
Until one of them speaks, the handshake clips remain what they are: a few seconds of video and a lot of guesswork.
Quick Answers
Did Smriti Mandhana ignore Harmanpreet Kaur?
Two short clips show the pair missing each other in the handshake line, after the third T20I on 20 October and the third ODI on 28 October. The clips do not show whether it was deliberate, and neither player has commented.
Is there a rift between Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur?
It has not been confirmed. Reports quoting a team source claimed tension after the captaincy change, but Harmanpreet publicly backed Mandhana as captain and said she would support her.
Who is the captain of the India women’s cricket team now?
Smriti Mandhana. She took over in all three formats after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down on 6 October 2026.
Why did Harmanpreet Kaur step down as captain?
She said she wanted to enjoy the game more, focus on her own cricket and spend time with family and friends. The decision followed a BCCI review meeting in Guwahati.
