Revealed: Why there was no handshake between India and Bangladesh players in U19 World Cup 2026 clash?

Bangladesh won the toss and opted to field first against India in U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 clash.

India Under-19’s second game in ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 got underway on Saturday (January 17). The Ayush Mhatre & Co. are facing Bangladesh U19 in the encounter, which is taking place at Queen’s Sport Club in Bulawayo.

The match was delayed due to rain and was shortened to 49 overs per side. While India crushed United States of America (USA) in their opening game by six wickets, Bangladesh are playing their first game of the tournament.

Both teams are placed in Group A in the U19 Cricket World Cup 2026, which features a total of 16 teams divided into four groups. Surprisingly, Bangladesh captain Md Azizul Hakim Tamim did not arrive for the toss despite being part of the match.

In his absence, vice-captain Zawad Abrar came to the field for the toss. After winning the toss, he opted to bowl first. However, both the players did not shake hands with each other, something that surprised the viewers as well as commentators.

Why Ayush Mhatre and Zawad Abrar did not shake hands at the toss during ICC U19 Cricket World Cup clash?

The reason for the fallout between India and Bangladesh players is the ongoing tussle between the two countries. Following the murder of a Hindu businessman in Dhaka by a mob, tensions between both nations have increased.

Many Indian people conducted rallies for violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. Moreover, many cricket fans slammed Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s addition in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Due to the outrage, BCCI instructed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to drop Rahman from their squad.

The move did not go well with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), who immediately banned the telecast and promotion of IPL 2026 in Bangladesh. Additionally, they also refused to send their players to India for the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 next month by citing security concerns for their players.

BCB has requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to schedule their matches outside India through an official letter; however, the latter has not accepted their proposal so far. Bangladesh are set to play their four matches of group stage in Kolkata and Mumbai.

The ongoing issues between BCCI and BCB as well as political tensions between India and Bangladesh have affected the mindset of their players in U19 ODI World Cup. Hence, they have refused to shake hands.

Notably, this is not the first time that something like this has happened. Last year in T20 Asia Cup, Indian and Pakistani players did not shake hands with each other during all three games.

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