In a sport where passion often borders on the surreal, a viral video from the recently abandoned fourth T20 international between India and South Africa has captured the heartbreak of "common man" cricket fan.
As thick fog rolled into Lucknow's Ekana stadium, forcing officials to call off the match without a ball being bowled, one fan’s emotional outburst became the face of a million disappointed spectators.
The video, which has since gone viral across social media platforms, shows a distraught supporter crying out, "Teen bora Gehu bechke aaya hu" (I sold my wheat crop to come here).
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'Tickets and reimbursement are irrelevant'
India currently leads the five-match T20 series against South Africa 2-1. The fourth T20, scheduled to begin at 7 PM IST at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, faced a long delay as the umpires waited for two and a half hours. With conditions showing no improvement, the match was eventually called off.
The cut-off time for a minimum five-over game was 9:46 PM, but the umpires made the final decision 16 minutes before the deadline. Fog is common in northern India during winter, particularly in the mornings and evenings, and the fourth T20 fell victim to this seasonal weather.
Weather in Lucknow was clear earlier in the day, but a thick layer of fog rolled in as match time approached. The heavy fog has also impacted daily life, with schools for classes 1 to 12 now starting at 9 AM to accommodate the low visibility conditions.