After 11 years, Pakistan’s Cricket World Cup squad arrived in Chennai on Saturday, October 21, to play against Afghanistan on Monday. Following the match with Afghanistan, Pakistan will be playing against South Africa on Friday at Chennai’s Chepauk stadium. Pakistan previously played a game in Chennai in 2012.
Security has been beefed up at the hotel where the team has been accommodated. Media reports also suggest that security is also likely to be heightened at the stadium on Monday and Friday. These measures have been taken following the harassment of the Pakistan players in Ahmedabad during the India vs Pakistan match on October 14. The boorish behaviour by the audience who taunted Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwans with slogans of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ while he was returning to the dressing room, was condemned by many.
Udhayanidhi Stalin, Tamil Nadu’s Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development, also took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and expressed his disappointment over the shameful incident. “India is renowned for its sportsmanship and hospitality. However, the treatment meted out to Pakistan players at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is unacceptable and a new low. Sports should be a unifying force between countries, fostering true brotherhood. Using it as a tool to spread hatred is condemnable,” he wrote.
Several X users also compared the Ahmedabad crowd’s reaction to a Chennai crowd from 1999 since the latter gave a standing ovation to the Pakistani players who recorded a test cricket win against India.
The WC squad headed by Babar Azam this year stands at number five on the leaderboard after recording two wins and two defeats. Pakistan has won against Netherlands and Sri Lanka while they were defeated by India and Australia.