Fans in India and Sri Lanka are very critical about their team’s performance and do not hesitate to express their emotions if their side is not playing well.
In the third ODI between India and Sri Lanka played at Pallekele, fans were disappointed to see the performance of the Sri Lankan team, as they lost the match and with that any hope of winning in the series. In the 44th over when India required another eight runs to win, fans hurled water bottles at the players.
The players were sent back to the dressing room, and the match was stopped for nearly 35 minutes till the crowd calmed down. Many present and former players showed their dissent towards the reactions. The former Sri Lanka captain who led them to World Cup glory in 1996, Arjuna Ranatunga stirred up a controversy when he related the incidence in the third ODI to the havoc created by the Indian fans during India and Sri Lanka’s semi final in 1996. After the incident, Ranatunga said,
“I request our cricket lovers not to behave like Indian spectators. We have a very good history and culture. Such misbehaviour is not accepted in our culture and history.”
These comments were not taken well by Indian fans, and Ranatunga was criticized for his remarks. The fans took it to Twitter to slam the former captain.
@ArjunaRanatunga instead f telling ur fans to nt t behv lik Indian fans.Pls suggest ur @SriLanka team to play like #indian team.#IndvsSL
— Anushku_Anamika (@ItsPbg) August 31, 2017
Arjuna ranatunga before talk about Indian fans teach disciple to ur Sri Lanka players, Suraj randiv Who bowled no ball to sehwag and (part1)
— Vignesh kitcha (@Vigneshkitcha) August 29, 2017
I strongly condemn your comments on Indian fans,,, @ArjunaRanatunga restrain from provocative words
— Praveen Kumaran (@MrThumbsup) August 30, 2017
@ArjunaRanatunga Pls thnk before spk, SL fans are silent when we hit the balls but in india not like that…
— senthil kumar (@psksenthil) August 31, 2017
By referring to Eden’O’96 you have made cricket poorer @arjunaranatunga
— Suresh(idly) (@sureshidly) August 30, 2017
@ArjunaRanatunga Neither your country nor your cricket is moving forward.Crowd behaviour the other day shows how backward is your country
— Harshad khodbole (@KhodboleH) August 31, 2017
Perhaps he can tell their srilankan cricketers to play like indian cricketers #ArjunaRanatunga
— giridharan (@giridharan71) August 31, 2017
Getting on indian crowd for something unpleasant happened in sri lanka shows your character @ArjunaRanatunga
— Dilip Varma Mudunuri (@DilipMudunuri) August 31, 2017
Depressed @ArjunaRanatunga urges srilankan crowd not be behave like indian crowd..
Lol..
Heights of depression…— Dilip Varma Mudunuri (@DilipMudunuri) August 31, 2017