Former India batsman Gautam Gambhir is displeased with the behavior of the crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium toward the Pakistani players when India and Pakistan locked horns last Saturday in Ahmedabad.
The 130,000-strong crowd was almost entirely in favor of India – barely any Pakistanis have been given visas to travel to India for the World Cup 2023 – and they expressed their feelings toward the Pakistani players.
The Pakistan captain Babar Azam was booed by the crowd in the stadium at the toss and when he came to bat. Mohammad Rizwan was taunted by some fans with Jai Shree Ram chants when Rizwan was walking back to the dressing room through a tunnel after being dismissed. A section of the crowd is also rumored to have heckled Hasan Ali by throwing paper airplanes when he was fielding at the boundary line.
Gautam Gambhir, who always speaks his mind boldly, has slammed the Ahmedabad crowd for mistreating the Pakistani players, the visitors.
“To see the prejudiced behaviour against Pakistan team in Ahmedabad wasn’t a proud moment at all. I am in favour of rivalry and supporting your favourite team, but it doesn’t give you license to suppress the opponent,” Gautam Gambhir was quoted as saying by journalist Himanshu Pareek.
Support your team but don’t misbehave with your guests: Gautam Gambhir
The former KKR captain and the 2011 World Cup-winning batsman, Gautam Gambhir, took a strong stand against the crowd, saying that whatever your feelings are, you should treat your guests with respect.
“Support your team but don’t misbehave with your visitors, after all, they are your guests,” he said. “We have to remember they are the visitors and here to play the World Cup,” the left-hander said, as reported by ARY News.
The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC about the crowd behavior but the ICC has reportedly refused to take any action because the “code of conduct covers individuals, not groups”.
In their complaint to the ICC about the Ahmedabad crowd, the PCB also once again raised the issue of Pakistanis not being given visas on time. “Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lodged another formal protest with ICC over delays in visas for Pakistani journalists and absence of a visa policy for Pakistan fans for the ongoing World Cup 2023,” the PCB said in a statement.
