Indian cricket witnessed an unsavoury incident during the third and final Twenty20 International match against South Africa on Sunday with fans in Bengaluru shouting 'RCB, RCB', and drowning out those who were rooting for the national team.
India suffered a humiliating nine-wicket defeat to allow the Proteas to share the honours 1-1 in the three-match series. After strangely opting to bat first on a batting-friendly Chinnaswamy Stadium top, India could manage only 134 runs, then failed to pose a fight, losing the encounter with more than three overs to spare.
For the fans, it all started just like any other match -- bringing nationalistic fervour, wearing their patriotism prominently, chanting 'India, India'. But as the match wore on and India's defeat looked imminent, the fixture turned 'Royal Challengers Bangalore vs South Africa'.
To the dismay of Team India and those who were rooting for the Virat Kohli & Co., majority of the fans were caught shouting 'RCB, RCB'.
Watch it here:
On the hindsight, it was possible that the fans were teasing the national team and the captain for their poor performance.
And here are some reactions:
For the uninitiated, RCB, also led by Kohli, endured one of their worst seasons in the Indian Premier League earlier this year.
Whatever prompted the 'shifting loyalties' in the fans, it sure was one uncomfortable experience for the players.
