On Friday (August 27), ‘Jarvo 69’ came in to bat for the Indian side during the Day 3 of the 3rd Test against England at the Headingley cricket ground. He walked onto the ground casually, dressed in full cricketing gear, and took to the crease after opening batsman Rohit Sharma was dismissed. But ‘Jarvo 69’ is not an Indian cricketer or a cricketer at all. He is a serial prankster, who hails from Gravesend town in the Kent county of England.
Seldomly referred by his original name of ‘Daniel Jarvis’, he came to prominence after he walked into the Lord’s cricket ground dressed as an Indian fielder during the 2nd Test match. His Indian jersey bore the name ‘Jarvo 69’ and he pretended to be a part of the Indian cricketing side. His actions left bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja in splits, who asked him about his ‘bowling side’ preference. It was an unusual sight for a white cricket fan to not only invade the pitch but impersonate as one of the fielders. Jarvis was eventually removed from the ground by the security officials.
pic.twitter.com/gL0GQDx5zA
— 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐤 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 (@SwastikPrasoon) August 14, 2021
Meet Jarvo, the new Indian player at Lord’s 😂
In a tweet, the prankster had confirmed, “Yes, I am Jarvo that went on the pitch. I am proud to be the first white person to play for India!!!!!” Daniel Jarvis was seen posing with the Indian jersey.
The second episode of ‘pitch invasion’
On Friday (August 26), he was back again posing as an Indian cricketer. Unlike last time, he was equipped with a helmet, pads, mask, and a bat. Jarvis went on to take the guard ahead of Virat Kohli, leaving the crowd amused. He was then escorted out of the stadium by the security officials. Multiple videos have surfaced on social media which shows how ‘Jarvo 69’ managed to pull off the stunt.
Jarvo is back again #indiavsEngland #jarvo69 pic.twitter.com/VhK8uAnxDs
— Manish (@Manish68358289) August 27, 2021
Disgusting treatment of India’s star player. @BMWjarvo Jarvo is a fan favourite. pic.twitter.com/xOhKTBYSnI
— Max Booth (@MaxBooth123) August 27, 2021
Later in the day, the serial prankster took to Twitter and stated, “Yes, it was me again aka Jarvo aka Jarvo69 at England vs India in the Test Cricket Match, in Leeds Full video will be on my youtube channel very soon.”
‘Jarvo 69’ and concerns about the security lapses
The antics of Daniel Jarvis do not stop here. In a video shared by him on his official Youtube channel, the prankster was seen setting up a tent named ‘Trespass‘ in the middle of the cricket ground. He was then removed from the ground by the security staff. Although ‘Jarvo 69’ pulls off such stunts with no malafide intentions, they have raised questions about the lack of tight security protocol at International matches. Concerns have also been raised about the safety of cricketers in the event of pitch invasion.
Following the second pitch invasion yesterday, cricketer RS Ashwin asked ‘Jarvis 69’ to desist from repeating his on-field pranks. In a tweet, the ace spinner remarked, “Today’s play was as good as it can get with Rohit, Pujara, Kohli and Jaarvo showing great intent and grit! Keep going fellas and stop doing this Jaarvo.”
Daniel Jarvis had delivered live pig to UK PM, intruded into a diving event
Over the years, Daniel Jarvis had intruded into several sporting events. During the Diving World Series held in 2015, he bypassed the security to make his way into London’s Aquatics Centre. In a video shared by him on his Youtube channel, Jarvis was seen stripping his clothes before taking a deep dive into the poll. The video of the incident was originally posted on his Youtube channel named ‘Trollstation’. At that time, Jarvis was 26 years old.
He had also invaded the pitch during the Europa League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Partizan Belgrade. As such, he along with two others were banned from attending football events for 3 consequetive years. Daniel Jarvis, however, did not limit himself to sporting events. He had earlier tried to deliver a live pig to the United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron at the 10 Downing Street in September 2015 . He did so after accusation surfaced on social media that Cameron stuck his private part into the mouth of a dead pig, as part of his ‘initation’ at a dining club in Oxford university.
‘Jarvo 69’ ran naked, staged fake robbery
On the completition of 100 million views on his Youtube channel, Jarvis was seen stripping in the middle of Oxford Street in London and running naked. “I promised you guys something crazy when reaching 100 million views,” he posted on his Instagram profile.
The 31-year-old Jarvis had his fair share of legal hassles owing to his pranks. He along with three other members of ‘Trollstation’, namely, Endrit Ferizolli, Helder Gomes, and Ebenezer Mensah were handed jail sentences for staging a fake robbery. The incident took place at the National Portrait Gallery in London in May 2016. ‘Jarvo 69’ and his aides had put on tights over their heads and pretended to steal expensive paintings from the art gallery. He was handed a 20 week prison sentence by the court.
Youtube prankster’s run-in with the law enforcement
On one ocassion, he was seen impersonating as a NYPD police officer named ‘Honey.’
On his Instagram profile, Daniel Jarvis had posted pictures of him brandishing a handgun and being taken away by the cops. The picture of him ‘sticking his tongue out’ bore the caption – ‘Going to prison’!!!
Daniel Jarvis often prefixes his name with BMW, which stands for Britain’s Most Wanted. Ever since he invaded the pitch during the ongoing India Vs England Test series, ‘Jarvo 69’ had garnered a huge fan following in India.
