Nagpur police stop Team India member from entering hotel ahead of IND vs ENG 2025 1st ODI [Watch]

In an incident that could have taken a turn for the worse but was handled impeccably, India's throwdown specialist Raghavendra Dwivedi, a.k.a Raghu, was stopped by Nagpur police from entering the team's hotel on Monday, February 3. The city will host the first ODI between the hosts and England on Thursday.

The police mistook Raghu for a fan and did not allow him to enter the hotel at first. However, Raghu, who is known to always sport a smile, handled the situation well, explained himself, and was eventually allowed to enter by the men in uniform. The latter also seemed apologetic when they were told the truth.

A video of the incident has now gone viral. The video journalists who were recording it were seen telling the cops that Raghu was indeed a part of the team and had just come out of a vehicle following the team bus carrying the players.

"Arey coach hai woh. Team ke saath hai. Gaadi se utra hai. (He's a coach, and a member of the team. He just deboarded the vehicle)," the journalists were seen telling the police.

You can watch the video here:

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Raghu has been a part of the Indian team since 2011

Raghu was handpicked by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar back in 2011 to help him and the rest of the batters in the team with throwdowns. He is known to operate brilliantly with the sidearm, which helps the batters play fast bowling.

Raghu's skills help India's batters prepare against high-octane pace bowling, allowing them to train their hand-eye coordination and get their shot selection right. He also works on their technique by bowling probing lines and lengths in training.

India will next be seen in action in an ODI series against England after thrashing the same opponents 4-1 in the T20I series that concluded on Sunday, February 2. They will then head to the UAE to play in the 2025 Champions Trophy.