BANGLADESH TOUR OF INDIA, 2024
Roby is a Bangladesh cricket team super fan. ©AFP
A few minutes after Lunch break was called at Kanpur’s Green Park and the brief drizzle had subsided, a few police constables were spotted carrying Roby, the prominent Bangladesh fan who dresses up like a tiger during their cricket games, in front of the media entrance gate. Roby sat lifeless at first, but a curious enquiry of ‘what happened’ got him to jump back to life and point energetically towards his hip. Had he not been sob-expressing his grievances, maybe his words would have been clearer. Those who could mildly decipher said that he had been beaten up and that he was trying to show those marks of injury on his body that weren’t distinctly visible around his tiger attire.
A disgruntled cameraman stubbed his cigarette after taking the first puff and ran closer to him. Those who have known Roby for long testify that he can go overboard with his reactions, and as a result, he isn’t often taken seriously. But these claims were big, especially in the light of how hard the authorities in Kanpur have tried to depict their credibility as worthy organisers of Test cricket through the ongoing game in the face of rising challenge emerging from the new centre of UPCA in Lucknow.
A quick check from the policemen around him on what had transpired eked all sorts of responses:
“Pata nahi, Bangali mein kuch bol raha hai” [Not sure, he’s saying something in Bengali]
“Pet pakad kar gir gaya tha. Gas hua hoga shaayad” [He was holding his stomach, must be some gastric trouble]
“Arey, kuch nahi hua. Nautanki hai” [Nothing happened, he’s being dramatic]
For almost two hours before that, when cricket on the field had taken centre stage, Roby was dancing and waving the Bangladesh flag from the part of the ‘C Stand’ that was blocked for public use due to safety concerns. There are multiple versions available as to why he found himself there. One was that the organisers wanted to keep him away from the India crowd. The second was that he went there by choice, and nearly two hours after being there, he was noticed and brought back to a stand where the rest were seated. UPCA officials remained unavailable for comment, but it was noticed that when he seemed hesitant when being brought back.
Irrespective, that’s when everything got heated between him and the Indian fans. Eye-witnesses claim that he irked Indian fans with abuses. In response, a few fans tried to stop him from waving his flag. It led to aggressive arguments and an Indian fan was seen aggressively holding his shoulder. Cricbuzz cannot ascertain however if Roby was beaten up.
Soon after, he was taken to a hospital half an hour away in a production van. He underwent X-ray and CT scans following which another, more official version of the incident came to light. Abhishek Pandey, Assistant Commisioner of Police from Kalyanpur, stated that Roby’s troubles was a case of dehydration which led to him collapsing. A few minutes later, in a video shot at the hospital and shared by the police, Roby corroborated the version of events shared by ACP Pandey.
By the time the drama off the field had ended, the game in Green Park too had been called off due to another spell of predicted heavier rain. It had been a rather dull day of cricket until then, with India playing three pacers and electing to field – for the first time in a home Test since 2015. Akash Deep struck twice, R. Ashwin went past Anil Kumble to become the second-highest wicket-taker in Asia but Bangladesh batted well enough to get to 107 for 3 in those 35 overs of action.
When the cricket allowed for attention to drift, there was no shortage of eye-catching events outside of the playing area. As school children settled and crowds filled up on a rain-interrupted day, langurs were called on duty to tackle the monkey-menace inside the stadium. By then, outside the ground, another round of protests from two right-wing groups had begun. These protests themselves stemmed against hosting a Bangladesh team stemmed from the political and social upheaval in the neighbouring country. It was short-lived. After a brief period of sloganeering in front of the cameras, the group disappeared.
If anyone thought the relevance of the ongoing Test match in Kanpur was just about the World Test Championship points at stake, Friday’s events were just another reminder that cricket in India can offer the full gamut of experience – the good, the bad and the ugly, the funny, the ridiculous and the bizarre. Oh, and a bit of bat-ball too.
© Cricbuzz
