World Cup 2019: Indian supporter displays Balidaan Badge at The Oval in MS Dhoni’s support

India won their World Cup opener against South Africa by six wickets at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. However, the match turned out to be a controversial one for the former Indian captain, MS Dhoni. The 37-year-old veteran from Jharkhand was spotted wearing wicketkeeping gloves with a symbol of ‘Balidaan’, a dagger insignia of the Indian Para Special Forces.

He was lauded by many for his gesture towards the Indian Army. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) was of the opinion that it wasn’t permissible and requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to get it removed. The apex cricket also asked the Indian board to convince them that it didn’t have any ‘political, religious or racial message’ as only then it would be allowed.

Recently, it has been learned that the ICC has refused Dhoni to wear the ‘Balidaan’ badge. “The regulations for ICC events do not permit any individual message or logo to be displayed on any items of clothing or equipment. In addition to this, the logo also breaches the regulations in relation to what is permitted on wicketkeeper gloves,” the ICC had responded in an official release.

The Men in Blue are currently playing their second match against Australia at the Kennington Oval in London on Sunday. During the Indian innings, a fan was spotted flaunting the ‘Balidaan Badge’ in support of the 2011 World Cup-winning captain. Dhoni doesn’t only have fans in India, but across the world and the gesture of the supporter in London was a testament to the same.

Support from cricketers as well    

Dhoni also has got support from the cricketers as well. Gautam Gambhir, who’s one of the commentators in the ongoing World Cup, asked the ICC to shift its focus from gloves. Rather the 37-year-old from Delhi asked the apex cricket board to strategize more on making pitches which don’t produce 300 plus totals on a consistent basis.

In the meantime, S Sreesanth went on to say that the ICC should be apologizing not just to Dhoni, but also the entire nation. Even former pacer RP Singh found it tough to understand the reason behind ICC’s move as he didn’t find it ‘political’ or ‘religious’.