Angry supporters of deposed Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, stamped on an effigy of chief selector Kiran More and set it on fire on Friday, protesting his exclusion from the team for the first two one-day internationals against Sri Lanka.
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Ganguly is nursing an elbow injury, but whether he would be fit to play soon would ponly be known after a fitness test three days from later. The one-day series against Sri Lanka starts from October 25.
Ganguly's fans, who gathered in front of his residence on Thursday to show support, demonstrated in front of Eden Gardens stadium, raising slogans as police in riot gear stood guard.
"No Sourav, no crikcet," they shouted, holding up posters in which their hero smiled triumphantly.
"It's a conspiracy against Sourav and we protest it. We will not allow any cricket in Kolkata if he is not playing," said Somnath Chakraborty, a middle-aged cricket fan, who led the protests.
The protestors kicked and stamped on a straw structure that had the name of the chief selector Kiran More written on it. Later, they set it on fire.
The protestors circled the stadium in a procession raising slogans in support of Ganguly as passers-by stopped to look.