'MCA Hume Paani Do': Fans Protest For Better Facilities Over Water Crisis In Pune Stadium

IND vs NZ 2nd Test: India and New Zealand are locking horns in a three-match Test series with the second Test being played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune. India lost the first Test match that was played in Bengaluru and the bandwagon has now moved to Pune for the second Test. The weather condition is extremely hot in Pune and the facilities at the MCA Stadium are said to be extremely bad.

Fans Protest At The MCA Stadium

There was a lot of talk about the Pune Stadium ahead of the second IND vs NZ Test match. The black soil pitch in Pune made a lot of headlines before the start of Test match, but it looks as if there are more problems at bay for the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA). With the temperature rising in and around Pune, many fans took to social media and complained about the conditions at the MCA stadium. Many of them also held the BCCI accountable.

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MCA Issues Apology

A delay in arrival of packaged water bottles caused a melee at the MCA stadium during the second India-New Zealand Test here with some fans raising slogans against the host association, which later apologised for the lapse. The Test that got underway this morning had a turnout of around 18,000.

With a large part of the stands in the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium without roofs, fans, who sat under the sun, rushed to water stations after the end of the first session's play only to find water not being available at the booths. The crowd kept swelling at the booths and started raising slogans against the MCA after waiting for a while. By then, the security personnel had started distributing packaged water bottles to defuse the situation.

"Our sincere apologies to all the fans for the inconvenience caused. We will ensure things will be alright going forward. We have already addressed the water issue," MCA secretary Kamlesh Pisal later told the media.

"This time we (have) decided to provide the spectators with chilled drinking water and there were some sort of logistical issues as some of the stalls ran out of water during the lunch break owing to heavy rush," he explained.

(Inputs Frm PTI)