Bangladesh vice-captain Zawad Abrar and India captain Ayush Mhatre did not exchange the customary handshake at the toss ahead of their Group A opener of the ICC Under-19 World Cup at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on Saturday. Zawad won the toss and elected to field first.
The toss was delayed by around 15 minutes due to drizzle in Bulawayo. In the absence of Bangladesh captain Azizul Hakim Tamim, Zawad represented his side at the toss alongside the Indian skipper and the match referee.
Although Zawad called the toss correctly, neither captain extended a hand, drawing attention to the unusual moment. A similar incident involving India’s senior team refusing to shake hands with Pakistan players during last year’s Asia Cup had sparked controversy.
Relations between Bangladesh and India have also strained in recent times. The Bangladesh Cricket Board is currently in discussions with the ICC over relocating its ICC T20 World Cup matches from India, citing security concerns.
Despite the brief rain interruption, no overs were lost and play began about 10 minutes later than the scheduled 1:30pm Bangladesh time. Bangladesh entered the match with limited preparation, as both of their warm-up games against Pakistan and Scotland were abandoned due to rain.
India, meanwhile, came into the match with confidence after defeating the USA in their opening fixture.
