Hours after team India’s victory at Nagpur, in comes the news that India’s coach Greg Chappell was slapped by a cricket supporter on their arrival at the Bhubaneshwar airport on Monday morning.

The man who slapped was later identified as Biranchi Maharana, a member of the Kalinga Sena, a local political outfit in Bhubaneswar. He said that he did so because he thought the coach was responsible for the non-inclusion of Orissa players in the Indian team. The Orissa police have arrested the man.

It’s indeed a shame the way we treat guests and some fanatics who don’t understand the game know only to add woes to a nation’s problem. Cricket may be a religion but to treat someone this way with so much security around is totally uncalled for.
 
India plays West Indies in the second ODI of the series in Cuttack on January 24. The day-night encounter is scheduled to start at 1430 IST.