Watch: Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Treatment Towards Groundsman Irks Fans, Twitterati Calls For Fine and Ban
Bengaluru: The final game of the five-match series between India and South Africa got abandoned due to heavy rainfall at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Indian fans only got to see their favourite players on the pitch for 16 minutes, however, something happened off the pitch that caught their attention.
India and South Africa had to share the trophy after the series ended 2-2 on Sunday. Stand-in skipper Keshav Maharaj, coming in for an injured Temba Bavuma, won the toss and forced India to bat first. Even before a ball had been bowled after South Africa pushed India into batting first for the fifth straight time, the rain came down pouring.
Covers were brought on immediately and players from both teams rushed into the dugout. After a delay of 50 minutes, the match began, now reduced to a 19-over-a-side affair. Rishabh Pant came to bat after Ishan Kishan got out cheaply and was off the mark straightaway with a glance through the short fine leg. However, the rain came again, this time heavier.
In between all this mess, a groundsman tried to take a selfie with Ruturaj Gaikwad, but the Indian opener didn’t like it and brushed him aside. A lot of fans then posted the video on social media asking Gaikwad to apologise for the incident.
Very bad and disrespectful gesture by Ruturaj Gaikwad. Sad to see these groundsmen getting treated like this ????#RuturajGaikwad pic.twitter.com/jIXWvUdqIX
— Arnav (@imarnav_904) June 19, 2022
A fan tweeted, “Very bad and disrespectful gesture by Ruturaj Gaikwad. Sad to see these groundsmen getting treated like this.”
Rituraj treats groundmen like casteism ???????? request @BCCI to fine him for her bad behaviour #rutu #INDvSA #rain#BCCI #RuturajGaikwad #Bangalore pic.twitter.com/ocCmBbmybX
— amayprem 25 (@Amayprem333) June 19, 2022
Another Twitter user even asked BCCI to put a fine on the player, while another one requested the board to ban him. The user wrote, “Rituraj treats groundsman like casteism request @BCCI to fine him for her bad behaviour.”
A fan tweeted, “Ban this Tukuraj. Groundsmen are working tremendously hard in the rain and then this Gaikwad asks him not to touch him.”
Ban this Tukuraj. Groundsmen are working tremendously hard in the rain and then this Gaikwad asks him not to touch him. #RuturajGaikwad pic.twitter.com/jjr6BRTxFN
— Avneet ???? (@itz_avneet_) June 19, 2022
It is clear that fans are not happy with Gaikwad, who is not included in the Indian team for the T20I series in England. Apart from one Test match, the Indian cricket team will play three ODIs and as many T20Is against the home side.