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The first Test between India and England has been marred by reports of racial abuse by a set of English fans. The riveting contest had an anti-climactic ending, with rain washing out the entirety of Day 5.
A 31-year-old British Indian woman has revealed how a section of the English crowd were aiming racial abuse at the Indian players. She attended the game with her family at Trent Bridge. The woman recounted the incident on Reddit, adding that racial slurs were aimed at her family once they chose to speak up.
According to the fan, the English fans referred to Mohammad Shami as 'Sh**y Shami", when the bowler was standing near the ropes while fielding. They even called Indian skipper Virat Kohli as ‘wa**er Kohli' upon losing a review.
The British Indian woman brought the issue to a steward's attention in the stand when she was told to 'go back to India' by an England fan. The steward took prompt action and ejected the fan from the venue. Her family chose not to press any legal charges against the English fan.
Changing stands did not solve the barrage of racial slurs by English fans
Following the incident, the fan and her family were moved to a stand mostly populated by Indian fans. However, a small section of English fans managed to get their voices heard with chants of 'Delta', referring to the Indian-variant of the coronavirus.
The Indian players have not yet registered a complaint as they were unaware and did not hear the comments being made against them. Indian players and fans faced a similar issue in Australia earlier this year during the Sydney Test. Instances of racism were reported over the course of that Test, particularly aimed at Mohammad Siraj.
The series now heads to London for the second Test. Lord's Cricket Ground will play host to the second match with the series tied at 0-0 courtesy of the draw in Nottingham.
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