India vs Australia 2017 series was said to be the most competitive cricket fixture of the year and that is what it has been. However, with all the hype, there also comes a possibility of fans getting disappointed, especially if it’s about the Indian Cricket team.
For the unknown, India vs Australia 2017 series have witnessed the home team dominating the ODI leg of the tour with a 4-1 victory and they also got a great start in the T20I fixture after taking the lead in the very first match. However, the second T20I was all about Australia being the better team and India failing to cope up after the top order was left into shreds in the powerplay.
While India managed to score just 118 runs in their 20 overs with Jason Behrendorff (4-21-4) being the one to take down all the four top-order batsmen, the 109 runs partnership between Moises Henriques (62) and Travis Head (48) in the second innings was enough to take Australia towards a much needed 8-wickets win over the hosts.
Also Read: India vs Australia 2017, 2nd T20I Stats
Interestingly, the match was scheduled at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati which becomes the 49th venue to host a T20I cricket match in India and since it was the first time that the ground got the taste of the spicy T20I flavor, it also attracted a huge crowd of 39,000 people. That said, the home crowd expected another dominating performance from the Men In Blue but all they got was a miserable downfall from which they were never able to retreat.
Of course, hearts were broken and expectations were not met with, but the way Guwahati treated the Australian side after the match, is yet another example of emotions taking the better of Indian fans.
And, Thus The Security Scare aka Attack On Australian Cricket Team Happened
A rock was thrown at Australia’s team bus as they made their way to a hotel in Guwahati from the Barsapara Stadium, forcing players to duck for cover.
The incident was highlighted on social media by Australia opener Aaron Finch who posted “Pretty scary having a rock thrown through the team bus window on the way back to the hotel!!,” and a picture of the shattered window.
Pretty scary having a rock thrown through the team bus window on the way back to the hotel!! pic.twitter.com/LBBrksaDXI
— Aaron Finch (@AaronFinch5) October 10, 2017
Luckily no player was injured in the incident as there was no player sitting near to the window pane but the state association, as well as security officials, are now on the receiving end of some serious question marks on Assam Cricket Association as well as the state police’s security arrangements.
While Guwahati was hosting an international cricket match for the first time in seven years, the incident, which was widely reported across the world, will definitely hurt Guwahati’s chance of hosting an international match, anymore.
Harsha Bhogle and Ravichandran Ashwin, among others, took to Twitter to condemn the Attack On Australian Cricket Team.
We are a country that treats ours guests with great respect and hospitality. Contd
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) October 11, 2017
The stone thrown at the Aussie team bus shows us in bad light, let's all act more responsibly. A vast majority of us are capable of that.🙏
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) October 11, 2017
Ridiculous!!! So sorry Aaron! Hope you and the boys are ok…. so shameful …let it be known we love having you here https://t.co/IjT2KDC02F
— shibani dandekar (@shibanidandekar) October 11, 2017
Unacceptable behaviour. Apologies for this. Hopefully the guilty is punished. #Guwahati https://t.co/1k7fzBHg3O
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 10, 2017
I saw so many simple, happy faces in Guwahati. Guess the idiot who threw the stone on the Aussie team bus was hiding among them. Not done.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 11, 2017
While the police have already arrested two persons related to the Attack On Australian Cricket Team and are also investigating into the matter, we, as fans of cricket, feel sorry for the situation that this incident has put Indian Cricket’s image into.
Moreover, we should realize that these are the type of situations that force other boards to turn down an opportunity to play in India and we do not want to host other nations outside India as Pakistan is doing in the UAE.