All hell broke loose at the Air Force ground at Palam, Delhi, when spectators entered the playing area at the end of play, following the comprehensive 8 wicket victory for the India A team against a star studded South African XI in a warmup match on Tuesday. Alarming hysteria prevailed among the onlookers when spectators threatened to get close to the cricketers.
The South African players were alongside the young duo of Sanju Samson and Mandeep Singh during the incident. Even though the security personnel hastened to surround the cricketers and prevent the crowd from nearing them, it proved to be an insurmountable assignment as the security members were being outnumbered.
However, there were no major incidents as the crowd were considerate and did not object as soon as they were asked to clear the ground. But a fortunate few were able to receive autographs of the cricketers amidst that mayhem.
Later, batsman JP Duminy revealed that the entire team had taken the incident sportingly. He quipped, "We have all played here and we all know how passionate the people of India are about cricket.”
Since the Palam ground is not enclosed, such incidents are not uncommon. Before the match began, the authorities conducted extensive frisking and only permitted the spectators with the proper credentials to enter the ground.
A member of the organizing committee stated: "Most of the spectators were either employees of the Indian Air Force or their family members. They had only come to watch the match and not to create any trouble.”
Nevertheless, the scenes at the Air Force Ground in New Delhi brought back some iconic and enduring memories of the pre-millenium era wherein the audience often engulfed the pitch on the completion of any cricket match in England. Often, the players had struggled to get past the invading crowd during such occasions.
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