Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Who is the 87-year-old Indian superfan winning hearts?

BIRMINGHAM: If you watched the ICC World Cup 2019 match between India and Bangladesh on Tuesday, you'd know that the game was interesting in more ways than one.Amidst Rohit Sharma's smashing sixes and his stellar batting, and Bangladesh players' commendable sportsman spirit, the game caught the attention of all cricket lovers for another reason: an endearing 87-year-old superfan cheering on for India from the stands. So who is this absolutely enchanting superfan winning everyone's hearts after taking the internet by storm? According to media reports, the 87-year -old lady is named Charulata Patel. She was born in Tanzania and loves cricket after her children starting playing the sport. In an interview with India's ICC digital insider Ridhima Pathak, Charulata revealed she has massive pride in her country. A retired official, Charulata has been following cricket for the last 20 years. Charulata proudly admitted that this is her team and the players are like her kids. "I love this Indian team and all the players are like my kids," she said.Despite her fragile age, the 87-year-old marked her presence at the match against Bangladesh as a die-hard supporter of the Indian cricket team as she wished the Virat Kohli-led side to register their place in the coveted semi-finals. Charulata grabbed eyeballs and garnered immense attention as she rooted for India from the stands. After India's rousing win, skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma went onto personally meet Charulata to receive her blessings. The players were showered with an abundance of love, prayers and blessings by the gracious woman. Later, Virat reciprocated with an equally adorable gesture. He took to Twitter to post a note along with some pictures of Charulata thanking her for immense support and saluting her passion and dedication as a fan."Also would like to thank all our fans for all the love & support & especially Charulata Patel ji. She's 87 and probably one of the most passionate & dedicated fans I've ever seen. Age is just a number, passion takes you leaps & bounds. With her blessings, on to the next one, " Virat captioned the image.Charulata Patel was spotted by a cameraman during India's innings. She was pictured blowing a horn and many fans took note and shared her pictures on social media. 

from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/2XMMCoR

No comments:

Post a Comment