The simmering strain between Indian and Bangladeshi cricket took on a visible edge at the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026.
The two sides face off in the group stage today, and their captains, Ayush Mhatre and Zawad Abrar, didn’t shake hands before or even after the toss was conducted, which went in favor of the latter.
This mirrors how Indian captains Suryakumar Yadav and Harmanpreet Kaur have snubbed the customary handshakes with their Pakistani counterparts in recent tournaments.
No India-Bangladesh Captains’ Handshake: WATCH
Toss news 🗞️#TeamIndia will bat first in their second group game 🆚 Bangladesh!️#ICCMensU19WC | #INDvBAN 👉 LIVE NOW ➡️ https://t.co/DGP23ftABG pic.twitter.com/5hZ9PFHbFL
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 17, 2026
As the team captains assembled for the toss, India U19 captain Ayush Mhatre and Bangladesh’s skipper Zawad Abrar stood side by side without exchanging the traditional handshake.
The omission was subtle but unmistakable, as even after the coin was flipped and the result was out, the two walked away from each other without exchanging any sort of pleasantries.
The incident follows a recent pattern in international cricket. Similar scenes were witnessed during the 2025 Asia Cup and the Women’s World Cup, when Indian teams chose not to shake hands with Pakistan sides, a decision taken after the horrific terrorst attack in India’s Pahalgam region.
Following recent reports of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, there has been considerable public outrage in India, developments that were soon followed by the removal of Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the upcoming IPL season.
India-Bangladesh T20 World Cup Row
Another controversy that arose following Mustafizur’s IPL removal was the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)’s refusal to send its team to India for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
They want their matches to be shifted to Sri Lanka (the co-host), but no final decision has been made on the matter by the International Cricket Council as of this writing.
