During the fourth Test between England and India at Old Trafford in Manchester, a spectator wearing a Pakistan cricket team jersey was approached by officials and asked to remove or change it. The request came from, who was seen explaining the situation to the fan. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media.
Initially, one official approached the individual, but as the fan refused to comply, a female police officer also joined the conversation to explain the need for compliance further. Despite their insistence, the fan stood his ground and did not change his attire. It is currently unclear whether the fan was escorted out or allowed to continue watching the match.
Political Backdrop and Fan Sentiments
This incident occurred against the backdrop of strained political and cricketing relations between India and Pakistan. The two nations haven’t hosted bilateral cricket series in decades; instead, they meet only at neutral venues during international tournaments. The upcoming Asia Cup 2025, set to be held in the T20 format, will see the arch-rivals face off again.
The tension intensified after recent terror attacks in Pahalgam and the subsequent Operation Sindoor, leading many Indian fans to express strong opposition to resuming cricketing ties with Pakistan. Nationalist sentiments remain high, especially among Indian spectators.
“Given everything that’s going on back home, fans have every right to express their feelings,” a viewer commented online.
India Holds Nerve to Draw Test
Meanwhile, on the field, India pulled off a spirited draw on Day 5 of the Manchester Test, thanks to crucial knocks by skipper Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar.
“𝑬𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆. 𝑫𝒂𝒚 5 𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑾𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒚 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆,”
Said Shubman Gill during the post-match presentation.
India’s effort in avoiding defeat is being hailed as a moral victory, setting the stage for a thrilling finale to the Test series.
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