After India-Pakistan handshake row, U-19 World Cup match against Bangladesh sees similar controversy

Diplomatic and political tensions between India and Bangladesh spilled onto the cricket field during their ongoing ICC U-19 World Cup Group B match on Saturday at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The match was marred by controversy when the captains from both sides did not shake hands at the toss.

India captain Ayush Mhatre and Bangladesh stand-in captain Zawad Abrar avoided the customary handshake and went their separate ways after the toss. Abrar stood in for regular skipper Md Azizul Hakim Tamim, who did not come due to unknown reasons. Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bowl first.

As Mhatre stepped back, Abrar also did not move forward and instead walked straight towards the presenter for the toss interview. The two players avoided eye contact and did not interact at all, which quickly caught attention. After speaking to the presenter, Abrar walked away, and Mhatre came to talk.

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BCCI-BCB tensions reason behind today’s drama?

Tensions between India and Bangladesh have been rising for the past few weeks. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has refused to travel to India for the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin on February 7. The BCB has sent multiple letters to the International Cricket Council (ICC), asking for their matches to be shifted to Sri Lanka.

This stance came after IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders released pacer Mustafizur Rahman ahead of the 2026 season. The move followed a request from the BCCI amid political tensions due to reports of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh.

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A similar no-handshake trend has been seen in recent matches between India and Pakistan, starting from the ACC T20 Asia Cup last year. India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha did not shake hands in any of their three Asia Cup matches. The Pakistan Cricket Board later complained to the ICC about the issue and fines were imposed on players from both sides.

The no-handshake policy then continued across several tournaments, including the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, ACC Rising Stars Asia Cup, and the ACC U-19 Asia Cup late last year, where India and Pakistan played a heated final, which the Boys in Green won by a huge margin.