U19 World Cup at toss in Bangladesh vs India match

Agency :

The captains of the Bangladesh and India under-19 teams abstained from exchanging customary handshakes at the toss ahead of the match between the two sides at the Under 19 World Cup.

The development comes amid cricket ties between the two countries taking a hit after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ousted Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) citing “recent developments”.

The toss saw the Bangladesh skipper seeing the rub of the green going his way. After winning the toss, he opted to bowl first.

It was then that Mhatre took a step back voluntarily as he snubbed the customary handshake at the toss. Even the Bangladesh captain did not take a step forward as he marched ahead to talk to the broadcaster.

Mhatre and Abrar even avoided eye contact, and the two just went about their business separately.

A few minutes later, the two teams made their way to the middle for the national anthems.

There was also no interaction between the players from both teams. Not just this, India’s opening batter, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, was also seen having a word or two with the Bangladesh players as the latter tried their best to distract him.

It is worth noting that tensions between India and Bangladesh continue to rise, and Bangladesh has even refused to travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup, set to begin on February 7.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has sent multiple emails to the ICC, requesting that the ICC shift its matches to Sri Lanka.