Indian Fans Extend Apology To Shoaib Ali For Harassment In Pune

image-lo0x4ue8Bangladesh Superfan Shoaib Ali | Source: X.com

In a gesture of goodwill, Indian cricket fans issued an apology to Bangladesh's super fan Shoaib Ali, who had been subjected to harassment by a faction of Indian supporters at the Pune stadium during the India-Bangladesh match. 

For the unversed, Shoaib Ali is a dedicated fan of the Bangladesh cricket team, attending their matches without fail. He was in Pune to support Bangladesh against India, but unfortunately, some Indian fans harassed him, forcibly took the stuffed tiger he had, and ripped it to pieces. 

Within a day, the video of this episode had gone viral on social media, drawing heavy criticism for the behaviour of certain Indian fans towards Shoaib Ali. 

However, a few days later, some Indian fans made amends by apologising to Shoaib Ali for the unfortunate actions of a few. 

Later, Shoaib Ali also took to social media to share the video, openly conveying his deep disappointment. He expressed his astonishment at the behaviour of some Indian cricket fans and emphasised the importance of maintaining the spirit of cricket as a gentleman's game.  

Just before the Bangladesh match, Shoaib Ali had a chance to meet Indian captain Rohit Sharma and showered him with praise. Upon spotting Shoaib, Rohit rolled down his car window and spoke to him.

Here's what Shoaib Ali said in his meeting with the Mumbai batter: 

"I was waiting along with some other Bangladeshi fans outside the main gate of the stadium as the team was training inside the ground. Suddenly I spotted a blue car with Rohit Sharma in the driving seat. I shouted his name. The next moment, Rohit stopped his car and spoke to me. This is why he is a big player, he is a very down-to-earth person.” 

Regarding the game itself, Bangladesh suffered a seven-wicket loss to India. Batting first, they could only muster 256 runs while losing eight wickets. India convincingly chased down the total, with their former captain Virat Kohli scoring a century.