Bulawayo: India’s captain Ayush Mhatre and Bangladesh’s vice-captain Zawad Abrar declined the usual handshake at the toss of a Group A match in the ICC Under-19 World Cup at Queens Sports Club on Saturday, signalling of the ongoing tension between the neighbouring countries.
During the toss, delayed by more than 15 minutes due to drizzle, neither India’s captain Mhatre nor Bangladesh’s vice-captain Abrar, who walked out for the toss, initiated the traditional exchange of pleasantries. After Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first against India, both captains just conducted their interviews and then went to their dressing rooms.
This stems from the no-handshake protocol adopted by the Indian men’s team during the Men’s Asia Cup in September 2025. In all three matches of the tournament, the Indian team did not shake hands with the Pakistan players. Additionally, they refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister.
Later, in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup match, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur upheld the ‘no handshake’ policy. Moreover, during last month’s U19 Asia Cup, India maintained a ‘no handshake’ policy during their group-stage fixture against arch-rivals Pakistan.
Relations between India and Bangladesh have also been deteriorating on multiple fronts in recent times due to violence following the death of a Bangladeshi student leader and the lynching of a Hindu man. This led to turbulence within the BCCI and the BCB when the IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladesh’s premier bowler, Mustafizur Rehman, from its squad, following a directive from the Indian governing board.
After the pacer’s release, the Bangladesh Cricket Board initially refused to issue a no-objection certificate for Mustafizur to play in the IPL. As a result of the BCCI’s decision, the BCB wrote to the ICC requesting that their T20 World Cup matches be moved to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns amid growing tensions between the two neighbouring nations.
(IANS)
