JOIN USInebriated Lankan fans heckle Yuvraj
The left-hander, who lost his spot in the playing eleven to Suresh Raina, was teased, tormented and abused by inebriated fans sitting outside the bar in the T Murugaser stand at the Oval on day one of the final Test against Sri Lanka.
When Yuvraj walked out at the drinks break with refreshments for his team-mates, he was heckled with shouts of “Water Boy, water boy, why aren’t you playing?” Having kept his cool for long periods, Yuvraj finally lost it, pointing in their direction and indicating that he had had enough.
Three errant youngsters who were taken to the clubhouse and warned to refrain from using abusive and taunting language were later arrested by the police authorities and taken to the police station after an official complaint from the Indian team management.
The Murugaser stand isn’t far from the Indian dressing room, and the constant taunts for large parts of the day hadn’t gone unnoticed. “The crowd was trying to misbehave with the player,” Indian team manager Ranjib Biswal said. “The police was asked to intervene and the situation was brought under control. Yuvi was not at fault, he didn’t try to provoke the crowd at all.
“I was sitting next to Yuvi when it happened and I can tell you they were trying to provoke the player.
“Naturally, it’s basic human tendency to react to situations when you are being repeatedly provoked but Yuvi was quite restrained,” Biswal added.
Yuvraj pointed in the direction of those taunting him, but there was no indecent gesture involved, nor was he party to any verbal abuse. “Yuvi’s reaction wasn’t a counter-attack, he’s also a human being,” Biswal said.
Tony Perera, the CEO of the Tamil Union Cricket and Athletics Club which owns the Oval, chose a diplomatic tack. “The Murugaser stand is the members’ stand of TUC. I can’t say whether they targeted Yuvraj because I was not present there when the incident occurred. But Yuvraj is much loved in Sri Lanka. He is an icon, especially since he hit those six sixes in an over. A lot of members worship him.”
Perera added that measures will be put in place on Wednesday to prevent a repeat of Tuesday’s unsavoury incidents. “Tomorrow, we are making a few adjustments but the fans will definitely come and see the teams play.
“We will take corrective and preventive measures tomorrow. The Taverners (bar) was built to add lustre to the club, not for fans to get intoxicated and behave in a way that is detrimental to cricket. Just a few people misbehaving doesn’t mean the whole club should be held responsible.”