India’s captain Ayush Mhatre and Bangladesh’s vice-captain Zawad Abrar chose not to shake hands during the toss of a Group A match in the ICC Under-19 World Cup at Queens Sports Club. The absence of the traditional handshake highlighted the ongoing tensions between the two neighboring countries. The toss, delayed by over 15 minutes due to drizzle, proceeded without the customary exchange of pleasantries.
This decision echoes the no-handshake policy adopted by the Indian men’s team during the Men’s Asia Cup in September 2025. Throughout the tournament, the Indian team refrained from shaking hands with Pakistani players. Moreover, they declined to receive the trophy from ACC President Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister.
In a similar vein, India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur maintained the ‘no handshake’ stance during the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup match. The ‘no handshake’ policy was also observed by India during a U19 Asia Cup fixture against Pakistan last month.
Tensions between India and Bangladesh have escalated recently due to various incidents, including violence following the death of a Bangladeshi student leader and the lynching of a Hindu man. This strain extended to cricket when the IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladesh’s top bowler, Mustafizur Rehman, following instructions from the Indian governing board, leading to unrest within the BCCI and the BCB.
Following Mustafizur’s release, the Bangladesh Cricket Board initially declined to issue a no-objection certificate for his IPL participation. Consequently, the BCB requested the ICC to relocate their T20 World Cup matches to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns amid the escalating tensions between the two nations.
