ODI cricket returned to Chennai after two years and Virat Kohli's men gave the fans at MA Chidambaram Stadium a lot to cheer as they crushed Australia by 26 runs (D/L) in the first of the five-match ODI series on Sunday, September 17.
Despite having annoying interruptions due to consistent showers in the South Indian city, fans got their money's worth after local hero and former Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni put on a splendid show with the bat along with young all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
Much to the delight of the local crowd, Dhoni, who is fondly called as 'Thala' (leader) in Chennai, was at the helm of the things on Sunday as he guided skipper Kohli and spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav on the field to help India prevent Steve Smith's men from reaching the revised target of 164 in 21 overs.
No black shirts during the first ODI
However, a section of the crowd were left fuming even before the start of Sunday's ODI as the officials at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium barred people, who were wearing black, from entering the venue.
Notably, policemen and Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) officials who were present at the entrances, asked people were wearing black shirts and t-shirts to remove them. They also insisted fans to buy new non-black shirts from nearby shops, as reported by the "New Indian Express".
No explanation was given to the fans by the officials and the blackshirts were returned only after the match.
"The authorities are taking it too far. Why should I spend money on another t-shirt to enter? I have a ticket and nothing was mentioned about a dress code when I purchased it," S Maharaja, a college student from the city said while blasting the TNCA, as quoted by the report.
TNCA says no to anti-NEET protests
A TNCA official though said that the governing body of cricket in the state had come up with the sudden rule after it had received information from intelligence agencies that youngsters in the city were preparing to protest against the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) by wearing black at the stadium.
"It was not there in the initial conditions laid down by the police. But based on some intelligence inputs that some students might protest over the NEET issue, they decided to enforce this rule in the morning," a TNCA official said.
He added: "Though a few protesters were stopped, a few people who inadvertently wore black also had to suffer. Once they changed shirts, the police allowed them inside."
Tamil Nadu acts on Supreme Court's order
The Supreme Court last week ordered the Tamil Nadu government to make sure they were no further protests against NEET in the state.
Notably, widespread protests were carried out by people of Tamil Nadu against NEET after a medical aspirant from the state committed suicide over disappointment of not being able to clear the exam on September 2.
