WATCH: Harbhajan Singh and Sourav Ganguly get fined at New Zealand for carrying dirty shoes, video from 2002 resurfaces

New Zealand is a beautiful country but when it comes to customs it is the toughest one. In a recently viral video from India’s tour of New Zealand, Ex-Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh see themselves in an awkward situation at Auckland airport, New Zealand.

This incident took place in the 2002-03 series, where India went to play two Test series and 7 ODIs. They both were fined $400 because they were carrying dirty shoes which violated biosecurity measures in New Zealand.

The video was shot by Parthiv Patel and Rahul Dravid getting through customs, whereas Sourav Ganguly and Harbhajan had to face some problems. Tony Davys, the then MAF Enforcement Officer, noticed that Harbhajan Singh did not count all his cricketing shoes which led to suspicions. 10 of the eight boots Harbhajan had mud and grass which needed to be cleaned before entering New Zealand which caused a threat to New Zealand’s environment. The video from the 2002 incident in Auckland has yet again gone viral on social media.

Watch the video below:

Back then they used to treat us like this, but fir IPL happened. @harbhajan_singh pic.twitter.com/3MKXXy3hWC

— Doctor Wait (@WaitReborn) January 20, 2024

New Zealand takes biosecurity rules on a serious note

To protect unique flora and fauna from foreign diseases and pests New Zealand aims to take biosecurity rules on a serious note. Harbhajan’s boots were dirty, and they required cleaning before entering the country.

Harbhajan was upset during the inspection. But the Indian team manager paid the fine of $200 on behalf of Harbhajan. Ganguly was also fined $200 as he declared his trainers. Despite all this, the Indian team got attention like rock stars from New Zealand. There were autograph signing sessions due to the popularity of Ganguly and Harbhajan.

The same incident happened with John Wright who was an Indian team coach back then. Wright was the Indian team’s first foreign coach appointed by the Indian Cricket Board. In 2002, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag were also fined $100 each as they were having dirty shoes on arriving, this was not the first time for Indian cricketers to face fines for having dirty footwear in New Zealand.

Now both Harbhajan Singh and Sourav Ganguly have retired from cricket. Harbhajan has now become a commentator while Ganguly has become president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, and he has also become Director of Cricket at Delhi Capitals in IPL.