'No Pakistani fans in the stadium', BCCI official on Arthur's complaint of not playing 'Dil Dil Pakistan'
October 15, 2023
Responding to Pakistan cricket team director Mickey Arthur's complaint of not hearing "Dil Dil Pakistan" during the Pakistan-India match the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official said that the song was not played as there were "no Pakistani fans in the stadium".
"You play all these [Pakistani songs] when there are fans in the stadium [...] there was not a single Pakistani fan there [in the stadium]," the BCCI official said while responding to Indian media when questioned with regards to Arthur's complaint of one-sided atmosphere during the match.
A day earlier, the Pakistan cricket team director — while speaking to the media after the Green Shirts' loss to India — took a dig at the one-sided atmosphere in the Narendra Modi Stadium and not only termed the contest as a "BCCI event" but also complained of not hearing Pakistani songs on the microphones.
"It didn't seem like an ICC event to be brutally honest. It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI event," Arthur said.
However, Pakistan's cricket team director's remarks didn't sit well with the Indian media which has since created a fuss over his "BCCI event" comments.
Responding to Arthur's "Dil Dil Pakistan" remarks, the BCCI official said that there was no issue in playing the song while raising the question, "[But] when we should've played it [the song]? Should we have played it when Babar and Rizwan got bowled or should we have played it when Rohit Sharma hit Shaheen Afridi for a six?"
According to the Indian media, Arthur wanted to further speak on the matter but didn't do so fearing being penalised.
Arthur's comments were later echoed by Pakistan's head coach Grant Bradburn who termed the absence of Green Shirts' supporters a "sad" event.
"We're really sad that our supporters aren't here. They would love to be here. And I'm sure Indian cricket fans would love to have our supporters here as well. So, it was certainly unusual that way," Bradburn said.
In the game, which took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium, India defeated Pakistan in front of 130,000 spectators and 99.9% of the crowd in the stadium was cheering for the Men In Blue.
India outclassed Pakistan in all departments of the game as they beat the Green Shirts by seven wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, improving their ICC Men's World Cup tally against their arch-rivals to 8-0.
Pakistan were routed by seven wickets in a disappointingly one-sided clash. They collapsed from 155-2 to be all out for 191 before India coasted home to their target with 117 balls to spare.
Skipper Rohit Sharma's 86 and an inspired bowling display helped India hammer Pakistan, who were bowled out for 191.
They overhauled the total with 117 balls to spare to extend their unbeaten streak against their neighbours to eight in the 50-over showpiece tournament.
