Tiger travails: Bangladesh superfan hospitalized amid Kanpur craze

Tiger travails: Bangladesh superfan hospitalized amid Kanpur craze

Moments after the mid-day break was called at Kanpur's Green Park and the brief sprinkle had died down, a couple of police constables were seen carrying Ravi, the prominent Bangladeshi fan who rose like a tiger during their cricket game, to the front. Gateway to media. Ravi sat lifeless from the start, yet an inquisitive inquiry into 'what happened' prompted him to spring back to life and point energetically at his hip. If he had cried instead of expressing his anger, his words might have been clearer. Those who could gently uncover said that he had been beaten and that he was trying to show the marks of injury on his body which were not clearly visible around his tiger costume. 

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A disgruntled cameraman ran up to him, stubbing out his cigarette after taking the initial puff. People who have known Robbie for a long time testify that he can overdo it with his reactions, and thus, he is often not taken seriously. In any case, the claims were big, especially in the light of how hard Kanpur's authorities tried to portray their credibility as a creditable organizer of Test cricket by continuing to play in the face of increasing challenges arising from the UPCA's new focus. Lucknow.

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A quick check from the police officers in his neighborhood elicited responses such as:

"Pata na, bengali me kuch bol raha hai" [Not sure, he is saying something in Bengali]

"Pet pakd kar gir gaya tha. Gas hua hoga shayaad" [He was holding his stomach, must have some gastric problem]

"Hey, kuch nahi hua. Nautanki hai" [Nothing, he's being dramatic]

A police officer also ruled out the possibility of Ravi being beaten up, saying, "That possibility does not arise at all. We have CCTV cameras everywhere." In any case, requests to take a look at the footage were ignored.

For nearly two hours earlier, while cricket was the center of attention on the ground, Ravi danced and waved the Bangladeshi flag from a section of the 'C Stand' which was barred for public use due to security concerns. There are different versions as to why he wound up there. One is that the organizers wanted to take him far away from the Indian team. The second is that he decided to go there, and after about two hours of being there, he was met and taken to a stand where the rest were sitting. UPCA officials were unavailable for input, but it was seen that he was hesitant while bringing him back.

Regardless, that's when things got heated between him and the Indian fans. Observers claimed that he angered the Indian fans by swearing. In response, some fans tried to stop him from waving his flag. This prompted aggressive arguments and an Indian fan was seen holding his shoulder aggressively. There is no way to confirm whether Ravi was beaten up.

He was then taken in a production van to a hospital half an hour away. He underwent X-rays and CT scans after which a more official version of the incident came out. Kalyanpur Assistant Commissioner of Police Abhishek Pandey said that Ravi was ill because of the difficulty which had caused him to collapse. Moments later, in a video shot at the hospital and shared by the police, Ravi corroborated the version of events shared by ACP Pandey.

While the off-field drama ended, the game at Green Park was also called off due to another spell of heavy rain expected. It had been a dull day of cricket until then, with India playing three pacers and fielding - for the first time in a home Test since 2015. The sky struck deep twice, and Ashwin overtook Anil Kumble as Asia's second-highest wicket-taker even as Bangladesh batted well to post 107 for 3 in 35 overs.

While cricket allowed for attention, there was no dearth of eye-catching events beyond the field of play. As young students settled in and flocked on a rain-broken day, langurs were called in to deal with the monkey menace inside the stadium. By then, outside the grounds, another round of protests had erupted from two conservative gatherings. These protests themselves arose against the hosting of the Bangladesh team, stemming from political and social unrest in the neighboring country. It was brief. After a moment of chanting in front of the cameras, the crowd dissipated.

If anyone thought the relevance of the ongoing Test match in Kanpur was only with World Test Championship points at stake, Friday's events were just another reminder that cricket in India can offer a full range of engagements - the usual mishmash, the fun, the absurd. And freaky oh, and a bit of bat-ball too.