Tensions between India and Bangladesh were apparent on Saturday as the two sides skipped the customary handshake between the captains during the toss of a U-19 World Cup match in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Bangladesh’s acting captain Zawad Abrar and India’s captain Ayush Mhatre did not do the customary handshake at the pre-match toss, which the former won.
Dhaka-based Prothom Alo reported that it was “unclear which team’s decision it was to not follow the handshake tradition”.
It is worth mentioning that Indian cricketers had refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during last year’s Asia Cup matches, in the aftermath of a military conflict between the two countries.
Saturday’s development comes as Bangladesh has announced that it will not play its T20 World Cup matches in India after its player Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team.
Mustafizur, who has played in the IPL for other teams in previous editions, was snapped up at auction in December by Kolkata for more than $1 million. His sacking sparked fury in Dhaka.
Subsequently, Bangladesh “formally requested” the International Cricket Council to shift their games to Sri Lanka.
Earlier this week, during a video conference with the ICC, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said it had “reiterated its request for the ICC to consider relocating Bangladesh’s matches outside India”.
Political relations between India and Bangladesh had soured after a mass uprising in Dhaka in 2024 toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi.
India’s foreign ministry last month condemned what it called “unremitting hostility against minorities” in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence.