IND vs NZ 1st Test: Kanpur man DENIES eating ‘gutkha’, says THIS after video goes viral

File image (Source: Twitter)

A Kanpur resident, who had instantly shot to fame after a video of him talking on the phone and supposedly chewing 'gutkha (tobacco)' went viral and garnered all the attention during the opening day of the ongoing first Test between India and New Zealand.

The person was identified as Shobit Pandey, popularly known as 'Gutkha Man', who is a resident of Maheshwari Mahol in Kanpur. Notably, he became a center of jokes, as he was trolled online and even known personalities like Dr Kumar Vishwas and former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer shared memes about him on Twitter.

#Gutka King from #Kanpur pic.twitter.com/40CgdiV3pp — Bhavya Ho ! (@MeBhavya) November 26, 2021

However, Pandey has clarified that it was sweet supari and not gutkha or tobacco that he was chewing in the stands during the Test match.

Speaking to ANI, Shobit Pandey said, "First of all, I would like to clarify that I wasn't eating tobacco. I was eating betel nut and was on call in with my friend, who was also watching the match in the same stadium but in a different stand."

"It was just a call of almost ten seconds and it went viral. My friend whom I was talking to was the one who broke the news to me that the video has gone viral. It went like a fire," he added.

Interestingly, Pandey, on Friday, again came to witness the Test clash at the Green Park Stadium with a placard which read - "Eating tobacco is a bad habit", in Hindi.

#KanpurTest Guthka wale bhaiyya's msg to the public today. #IndiaVsNewZealand pic.twitter.com/7cJZDpRGy0 — krishnamurthy (@krishna0302) November 26, 2021

Coming to the Test match, New Zealand dominated India on the second day of the first Test match in Kanpur on Friday.

Tim Southee was one of the protagonists for visitors as he scalped five wickets that helped New Zealand to bundle India for 345 on Day 2. Kiwis then continued to enjoy an excellent day as they ended on 129/0 after an unerring opening stand between Will Young and Tom Latham.

The visitors are currently trailing by 216 runs. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer hit his maiden ton before New Zealand bundled India out for 345.