Bangladesh Breaks Silence After Handshake Snub With India In Women’s Asia Cup: “Want Friendly Relations”
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has sought to distance itself from Bangladesh women’s captain Nigar Sultana’s decision not to shake hands with India captain Harmanpreet Kaur during the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 semi-final on Thursday.
The unusual moment during the toss quickly drew attention, particularly given the recent strain in India-Bangladesh relations. However, the BCB has made it clear that Nigar’s decision was a personal one and was not directed or approved by the board.
Rafiqul Islam Babu, chairman of the BCB’s women’s committee, said the board had no involvement in the decision.
“Of course, it was her own decision,” Rafiqul said, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
He stressed that Bangladesh wanted to maintain cordial relations with countries around the world, including India.
“We believe sports bring the world together. We want friendly relations with all countries, not just India, and so whatever she did was entirely her personal decision,” he said.
Nigar Sultana and members of the Bangladesh women’s team have not publicly explained why she chose not to shake hands with Harmanpreet.
The moment comes against the backdrop of a period of strained relations between India and Bangladesh, which also spilled into cricket.
In late 2025, the BCCI instructed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman. Bangladesh subsequently declined to travel to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup, citing concerns surrounding the situation. The ICC later replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament.
Relations between the two cricket boards, however, have appeared to show signs of improvement in recent months. Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal took over as BCB president earlier this year, adding another layer to the changing cricketing landscape between the neighbouring countries.
The handshake controversy also comes at a time when India and Pakistan have avoided handshakes and customary post-match pleasantries following the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
On the field, India had little trouble settling the semi-final.
Shafali Verma’s aggressive 64 helped India post 149/6 after being asked to bat first. Bangladesh struggled to keep pace with India’s bowling attack, with Deepti Sharma leading the way with three wickets.
Bangladesh eventually finished on 109/7, handing India a 40-run victory and a place in the Women’s Asia Cup final.
While the handshake incident has attracted plenty of attention, another decision involving Nigar’s future could emerge after the tournament.
Rafiqul confirmed that the BCB will review Nigar’s position as captain after the Asian Games 2026.
“We have discussed the thing in total with the board president and since they are in Asian Games we will assess the situation after the conclusion of the games. First, we will see how the team performs at the Asian Games, then decide what needs to be done,” he said.
For now, the BCB appears keen to draw a line between the captain’s individual decision and the board’s official position: Bangladesh, it says, wants sport to remain a bridge between countries rather than another source of friction.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
