Media365
NEW DELHI: India captain Ayush Mhatre and Bangladesh vice-captain Zawad Abrar skipped the customary handshake at the toss ahead of their Group A clash in the ICC Under-19 World Cup at the Queens Sports Club on Saturday, underlining the strain in relations between the two neighbouring nations.The toss was delayed by over 15 minutes due to drizzle, and when the captains walked out, neither initiated the traditional exchange of pleasantries.
After Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bowl first, both sides completed their broadcast interviews and returned to their respective dressing rooms without interacting.The move is in line with the ‘no-handshake’ stance adopted by the Indian men’s team during the Men’s Asia Cup in September 2025. Across all three matches of that tournament, Indian players did not shake hands with Pakistan counterparts and also declined to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister.The policy was later followed by India captain Harmanpreet Kaur during an ICC Women’s ODI World Cup match, and was again observed by the Indian Under-19 team during their group-stage fixture against Pakistan at last month’s U-19 Asia Cup.Ties between India and Bangladesh have also worsened in recent months following violence linked to the death of a Bangladeshi student leader and the lynching of a Hindu man. The tensions spilled into cricket administration when IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their squad following a directive from the BCCI.In response, the Bangladesh Cricket Board initially refused to issue a no-objection certificate for Mustafizur to participate in the IPL. Subsequently, the BCB wrote to the ICC requesting that Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches be shifted to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns amid the escalating tensions between the two countries.
