Buawayo (Zimbabwe): The strained bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh filtered onto the cricket field as captains of the two teams abstained from making a customary handshake ahead of their ICC Under-19 World Cup Group A match here on Saturday, January 17.
After a delayed start owing to rain, India skipper Ayush Mhatre and Bangladesh vice-captain Zawad Abrar stood at the toss but there was no exchange of cordiality between them before or after the spin of the coin.
However, both the teams are yet to make an official statement about the incident.
It may be recalled that a no handshake policy is in vogue between India and Pakistan from last year’s Asia Cup in the aftermath of Pahalgam massacre and the ensuing Operation Sindoor carried out by the Indian Armed Forces.
The political and cricketing relation between India and Bangladesh are on the lowest ebb of late.
Several anti-Bangladesh rallies were held in various parts of India, protesting against the reported persecution of minorities in the neighbouring country in recent days.
The cricketing ties too have hit the nadir after the BCCI recently asked Kolkata Knight Riders to snap the IPL contract of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman.
Subsequently, Bangladesh has requested the ICC to relocate its upcoming T20 World Cup matches from Kolkata and Mumbai, citing potential security risks to the players, officials and fans.
The discussions are currently underway between the International Cricket Council and Bangladesh Cricket Board in that regard.
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