Indian pacer Zaheer Khan left the senior police officers stationed at the team hotel in Kanpur sweating when he quietly boarded a car and went out for dinner with a known person without permission or informing the personnel in advance.
The officials were unaware of Zaheer's plans when he walked out of the lift with a cell phone in hand last night.
The player's initial request was the car stopped at the gate to be allowed inside and even as they obliged, the cops were swallowing hard at the unexpected arrival of a guest.
While Zaheer was attracting crowd as the hotel is situated adjoining a shopping complex and is close to a residential quarters, the men in khakhi began to shuffle on their feet.
"Sir, you may please go in and wait. The crowd is getting on a frenzy," requested the DSP in charge of the personnel on the night shift.
But Zaheer remained unmoved. It was only after the green Mitsubishi Lancer with a UP registration pulled up and the cricketer got into it, did the officers realise his intentions.
"Sir, we cannot allow you to go like this without any kind of security, and we don't have any information about you going out at this time," the DSP registered his protest.
The team had arrived in the city less than one hour ago, and as such the officer was caught unaware. But with Zaheer having already made his mind, there was no other go but to make quick arrangements for an escort.