After the India vs. Sri Lanka Asia Cup Super 4 match on Tuesday in Dubai, Indian sports journalists arrested a man who had assaulted Arshdeep Singh in front of the team bus. The man, who identified himself as being from India, was hoping to see the cricketers getting on the team bus after India’s dramatic loss against Sri Lanka. One of the last cricketers to board the squad van was India pacer Arshdeep Singh. In reference to Arshdeep’s drop catch against Pakistan, the fan was overheard shouting offensive comments in Punjabi just as the 23-year-old was about to board the bus.
After hearing the man’s remarks and entering the bus, Arshdeep paused before deciding not to continue and entering. While they waited outside, some journalists videotaped the entire episode. As soon as the footage was over, Indian journalist Vimal Kumar was seen addressing the subject about his actions. They were spotted protesting to the security people about “abusing” Arshdeep Singh after another journalist joined in.
Before ordering the man to leave, the security personnel were seen attempting to calm the Indian journalists down. This was the first instance of rogue behaviour that Arshdeep Singh had to deal with in person. The hostility was previously solely seen on social media.
Since dropping Pakistani batsman Asif Ali in the 18th over of India’s match against Pakistan on Sunday, the young left-arm seamer has been dealing with backlash. As Pakistan went on to defeat India in that match despite Arshdeep’s magnificent final over, the trolling increased considerably.