A certain section of the crowd in Kanpur were heard chanting anti-Pakistan slogans on the first day of the first Test match between India and New Zealand.

Test cricket has returned to India after a long gap of eight months, with the BCCI allowing 70 per cent crowd attendance at Kanpur, the venue for the first Test match between India and New Zealand. The supporters, who are making a return to stadiums after an enforced absence due to Covid-19, were seen cheering for the hosts in full force, especially rallying behind debutant Shreyas Iyer. The Mumbai batter, who became the 16th India player to get a Test hundred on debut, was egged on by the crowd with chants of “10 rupaiy ki Pepsi, Iyer bhai sexy (10 rupees for a Pepsi, Iyer is sexy).”

However, a certain section was heard shouting anti-Pakistan slogans, which cast a shadow over the day’s play at Green Park. The incident occurred when Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill were at the crease, and “Pakistan Murdabad”, roughly translated as ‘Death/Curse on Pakistan’ could be heard on TV screens.

India and Pakistan have not played any bilateral series since 2012 due to political tensions between the two countries.

Watch anti-Pakistan chants during the India-New Zealand Test match at Kanpur here:

Hateful slogans being chanted by Indian crowd against Pakistan during a match in which Pakistan isn’t even playing pic.twitter.com/8sp8W3dmDB

— pakteahouse (@paktea) November 25, 2021