India, Bangladesh U19 captains skip handshake at toss

India’s U19 captain Ayush Mhatre and Bangladesh’s vice-captain Zawad Abrar skipped the traditional handshake at the toss in Bulawayo, continuing India’s no-handshake policy. The move reflects growing cricket tensions between the two nations amid recent disputes involving Mustafizur Rehman

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 ongoing tension between the neighbouring countries.

The toss, delayed by more than 15 minutes due to drizzle, saw neither Mhatre nor Abrar initiate the traditional exchange of pleasantries. After Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first against India, both captains gave their interviews and returned to their dressing rooms.

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This stems from the no-handshake protocol adopted by the Indian men’s team during the Asia Cup in September 2025. In all three matches of the tournament, the Indian team did not shake hands with Pakistan players and also 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, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur upheld the ‘no handshake’ policy. During last month’s U19 Asia Cup, India also maintained the same stance in their group-stage fixture against Pakistan.

Relations between India and Bangladesh have deteriorated in recent times following violence after the death of a Bangladeshi student leader and the lynching of a Hindu man. This led to turbulence between the BCCI and the BCB when IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rehman from its squad, following a directive from the Indian board.

After his release, the Bangladesh Cricket Board initially refused to issue a no-objection certificate for Mustafizur to play in the IPL. As a result, 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 nations.