Liton’s outburst in calm and quiet Pune
The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune will host its first match of the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup on October 19 when the home team India will take on Bangladesh in their fourth fixture of the tournament.
Both teams are at opposite ends in terms of mood as Rohit Sharma's India sit at the top of the table with three straight wins against Australia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, while Shakib Al Hasan's Bangladesh have suffered consecutive drubbings at the hands of defending champions England and then New Zealand after winning their first match against the Afghans.
Shakib and Co touched down in Pune on Saturday after an almost 1000 km journey by air and will get a couple of days off before they start their training on October 17.
The name of the city derives from the Sanskrit word Punyagara, which means 'city of virtue'. While India can clothe themselves with the calm of the city, Bangladesh seem to have not been able to embrace much of what the name of the city stands for.
After a disappointing loss on his birthday, Bangladesh opener Liton Das on Saturday failed to keep his on-field rut hidden as it spilt over off-field on keen media personnel present at the Conrad Hotel during the team's day off.
While a few of the cricketers, including Taskin Ahmed, Towhid Hridoy, and Mahmudullah Riyad greeted the eager media, Liton's behaviour towards the big contingent of media members from Bangladesh rather reflected the Tigers' frustrating performance on the field.
"Why are the media here? Why are they taking my photo?" Liton vented at the hotel security staff yesterday.
Following the incident, the hotel security requested the keen journalists to leave the hotel saying that the players were not comfortable with their presence.
Despite the other teams welcoming behaviour towards the media, Bangladesh, on the other hand, have done quite the opposite.
Shakib Al Hasan and Co have barely interacted with the country's media and Liton's attitude towards them suggests that Bangladesh have gone into their shell following heavy defeats against England and New Zealand owing to dismal performances on the field and knowingly or unknowingly, as so often is the case, they are letting it affect their off-field duties as well.
Skipper Shakib left the field before the New Zealand match ended as he suffered a strain in his left quadriceps while batting in the first innings on Friday.
He completed his full quota of 10 overs and went for a scan, the report of which was due on Saturday. But even with something as straight-forward as that, the team management put out an update leaving out the details of his condition, saying the 36-year-old would be under observation.
As things stand in the tournament so far, India will most likely award its fans in Pune a win to celebrate, and as for Bangladesh, who are already under the cosh, would have to play out of their skin to churn out a result in their favour.