Edgbaston| The final Test match that is being played between India and England stands at a crucial juncture. India who set a steep target of 378 runs for the English team now looks in total disarray. The attacking brand of cricket that Lees and Crawley played at the start of the English chase snatched away the advantage from India. This was followed by a batting masterclass displayed by Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, who stitched a partnership of 150 runs which piled on the pian for the Indian team.
Indians are not just facing difficulties on the ground but are facing a lot of flak outside the ground too. Reports have emerged that racist abuses were aimed at the Indian crowd during the fourth day of the rescheduled fifth Test between India and England at Edgbaston as confirmed by ECB and Warwickshire County Cricket Club. The incident took place on Monday, July 4, 2022, after England gained a considerable amount of advantage in the game.
The incident enraged several Indian fans who took to Twitter to report the racist behavior they had to suffer from other fans during the fourth day's play on Monday night. The unfortunate incident gained momentum after Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq stressed the matter and tweeted "Disappointing to read". Previously Rafiq has been a victim of racial abuse and his testimony to a British parliamentary committee last year led to an investigation into claims of institutional racism in Yorkshire.
As a damage control measure, Edgbaston's official Twitter account responded quickly and wrote "We're incredibly sorry to read this and do not condone this behavior in any way. We'll be investigating this ASAP". Following up with Edgbaston, Warwickshire later released a statement, stating they are investigating the incident.
ECB has now expressed their opinion on the matter and their tweet read "We are very concerned to hear reports of racist abuse at today's Test match. We are in contact with colleagues at Edgbaston who will investigate. There is no place for racism in cricket".
(Inputs from PTI)
