WATCH: Indian fans tear Bangladesh fan's stuffed tiger in Pune
The 2023 ODI World Cup witnessed another controversy when a Bangladesh supporter encountered harassment inside the MCA stadium in Pune during their clash against host India on Thursday (October 17). Shoaib Ali, an ardent fan of the Bangladesh cricket team, fell victim to Indian spectators who tore apart his stuffed tiger toy after Rohit Sharma's team defeated the Men in Green on October 19.
Shoaib, known for donning the attire of a Bangla Tiger and carrying a stuffed toy tiger to cricket stadiums in support of his national team, never anticipated facing such treatment from Indian fans. This incident adds to the list of instances where Indian spectators have mistreated visiting fans supporting opposing teams during the World Cup.
On Thursday, India secured their fourth consecutive victory of the tournament, defeating Bangladesh by 7 wickets. The Men in Blue achieved the target of 257, largely due to Virat Kohli's unbeaten 101, following a strong performance by the Ravindra Jadeja-led attack that restricted Bangladesh to 256 for 8 in 50 overs.
Earlier this month, Pakistani players also encountered hostility from Indian fans when the two teams clashed at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Pakistan players face boos from Indian spectators
Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, and several other players were subjected to boos, jeers, and taunts, including chants of Jai Shri Ram from the Indian spectators present at the world's largest cricket stadium.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodged a complaint with the International Cricket Council about the inappropriate behavior of the crowd. However, the governing body stated they couldn't take action since the breach of the ICC code of conduct involved multiple fans rather than any specific individual.
In another incident on Friday in Bengaluru, a Pakistani fan was prevented from cheering for Babar Azam's team by a police officer at the M Chinnaswamy stadium.
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The fan engaged in a disagreement with the officer, who allegedly stopped him from chanting "Pakistan zindabad" in the stadium. The incident was captured on camera by another fan and subsequently shared on social media.
Shoaib Ali, Bangladesh's superfan, fondly known as 'Tiger Shoaib' has faced harassing behavior from the Indian fans in the India vs Bangladesh match in Pune
— bdcrictime.com (@BDCricTime) October 21, 2023
Look how his Tiger Mascot had been torn apart by the Indian fans!
It's not acceptable from the HOME crowd#INDvBAN… pic.twitter.com/XFdIo6beav
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