India vs England 2021: Man threatens to immolate himself if T20I series continues amidst the pandemic

India vs England 2021: Man threatens to immolate himself if T20I series continues amidst the pandemic

Motera's Sardar Patel Stadium

In what is a weird threat to say the least, a man threatened to set himself on fire if the ongoing T20I series between India and England continued to happen. The man from Gandhinagar called a senior police officer and reportedly threatened the same due to his concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

The five-match T20I series between India and England is taking place in Ahmedabad at the moment. Three matches have already ended with the visitors leading the series by a 2-1 scoreline. Two more matches will take place behind closed doors (the first two matches had crowds) over the course of the next three days following which a three-match ODI series will happen in Pune. After that, players will disperse to their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) teams for the tournament which begins on April 9.

The man wanted whole series’ cancellation

Rishabh Pant wicket
England players celebrate a wicket

According to Indian Express, the man had wanted the whole series’ cancellation due to the rising COVID-19 cases. Identifying himself as Pankaj Patel, the man had called up a senior police officer. An audio clip of his phone call has also reportedly been leaked on social media where he can be heard talking about COVID-19 and social-distancing guidelines and how they are not being followed. He then threatened self-immolation if the series continues. He has now been booked by the police.

“The man had called on my cell phone on March 12 and threatened to immolate himself if the matches are held. He also used abusive words for the Gujarat government, the Chief Minister, and the Deputy Chief Minister. When I asked his name, he told me he is Pankaj Patel from Gandhinagar. I immediately called up Gandhinagar police control room and shared his phone number with the officials,” the police officer said.

The fourth T20I begins tomorrow.

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