‘No $1BN Adani Loan’: Extraordinary scenes as protesters hit India-Australia ODI

Protesters invaded the pitch to protest against Adani during the India vs Australia 1st ODI. (Twitter)

Two protesters stopped play during the first ODI between India and Australia when they made their into the field before being escorted out on Friday.

One of the invaders, carrying a placard ‘No $1BN Adani Loan’, managed to reach the pitch just before pacer Navdeep Saini was getting ready to bowl the sixth over of Australia’s innings.

“We’ve got a couple of pitch invaders protesting about something,” Adam Gilchrist said on Fox Sports.

“We’ll wait for security to come and get them and remove them.

“We don’t see any urgency from security at the moment.”

Explained: What is Adani coal-mining project in Australia

Denouncing India’s Adani Group’s coal project in Australia, Ben Burdett, one of the SCG protesters, said in a statement, “Millions of Indian taxpayers who are watching the first game of the Indian cricket tour have a right to know that the State Bank of India is considering handing their taxes to a billionaire’s climate-wrecking coal mine.”

Adani has faced country-wide protests in Australia against the Queensland project, and many have run an “Adani go back” campaign to deter the group from moving ahead.

Protesters have raised concerns that the project can possibly increase global warming and also threaten the Great Barrier Reef.

Stop #Adani protest at the cricket – calling on State Bank of India not to fund Adani’s Australian coal mine to the tune of $1 billion (following recent media reporting that this deal is currently underway) #AUSvIND https://t.co/KBORZ7gXKJ

— Sophie McNeill (@Sophiemcneill) November 27, 2020

Stop Adani protesters run onto the field and stop play.

Security took about five minutes to realise they were trespassing and weren’t players. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/wLBgdeLlqu

— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) November 27, 2020

WATCH: Video of two #StopAdani supporters taking the grounds to protest @TheOfficialSBI‘s plans to give @AdaniOnline a $1bn (5000 crore) Indian taxpayer loan for Adani’s Carmichael coal project #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/NhY3vPN0HM

— Stop Adani (@stopadani) November 27, 2020