‘Security not there to watch the match for free’- Sunil Gavaskar after pitch invasion in Pune Test

Pitch invasion has been a pretty common phenomenon in ongoing South Africa’s tour of India. The latest one was seen in the second Test at the MCA Stadium in Pune. The incident happened during the 45th over of the Proteas’ innings on Day three. Ravindra Jadeja got rid of Senuran Muthusamy after which Vernon Philander came in to join his skipper Faf du Plessis.

It was then that the supporter dodged the security and rushed on to the park and sprinted towards the slip cordon where Rohit Sharma was positioned. Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper, Ajinkya Rahane, the Test vice-captain, and Jadeja saw the funnier side of the occurring. However, the action from the fan didn’t go down well with Sunil Gavaskar, the former Indian cricketer, by any means.

Sunil Gavaskar vents out his frustration over security

Gavaskar lashed out at the security, saying that its responsibility is to avoid any mishaps from taking place and not watch the match for free. “Security not there to watch the match for free. This is a perennial problem in India,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying at the time of commentary.

“It’s a serious security issue. Not just a question of a fan going to meet a cricketer. They have to make sure nobody enters the ground. Anything could happen. Why take a chance? It’s not easy to get inside the field. So, what are they (security) doing?” Gavaskar added.

Going back to the previous such occurring, in the opening Test in Visakhapatnam, a fan shook Kohli’s hands and then tried to take a selfie with the on-field Indian cricketers. During the second T20 International at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, two times play was halted after the supporters breached the barrier and charged on to the pitch to get a close look of their favourite players.

As far as the game is concerned, Kohli’s seventh double ton and Ravindra Jadeja’s score in the 90s helped India post over 600. The duo shared a 225-run stand for the fifth wicket to put the hosts in a commanding position. Then the bowlers came out firing on all cylinders to tighten the screws on the Proteas.

[interaction id=”5da07e3a9235480b06174541″]