In a moment that immediately grabbed fans’ attention worldwide, the captains of the Bangladesh and India Under-19 teams avoided the traditional handshake during the toss at their U19 World Cup 2026 Group B match in Bulawayo.
Bangladesh’s acting captain Zawad Abrar and India’s captain Ayush Mhatre refrained from shaking hands, marking a rare “no handshake” moment at the start of the game.
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Abrar came out for the toss instead of regular skipper Azizul Hakim, who was named in the playing XI.
Following a rain-affected delay, Abrar won the toss and chose to bowl first, citing the damp conditions of the Bulawayo pitch.
The trend follows previous handshake controversy incidents where Indian teams avoided handshakes with Pakistan, first seen during the 2025 Asia Cup and Women’s World Cup, and later continued at the Under-19 and Emerging levels.
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Analysts note that what India started against Pakistan by letting politics interfere in cricket has now extended to Bangladesh, further undermining the spirit of sportsmanship.
Relations between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have been strained recently, partly due to disputes over Mustafizur’s IPL contract and debates regarding T20 World Cup venues.
