Cricket is considered a religion in our country, and fans of the sport have taken it to an all-new level with their passion and enthusiasm. From fanatics with painted faces who cheer for the team to fortune tellers who predict the outcome even before the toss, Indian cricket fans come in all shapes, sizes, and age! Charulata Patel, an 87-year-old woman and one of the most passionate cricket fans (as declared by Virat Kohli himself) is proof enough!
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Team India chased victory yesterday to reach the ICC World Cup semi-finals as they won the match against Bangladesh by 28 runs at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground. However, our nail-biting victory wasn’t the only highlight of yesterday’s match. During the match, a cameraman managed to capture Charulata Patel, a super fan of the Indian team. From the team players to the entire nation, everyone was stumped (pun intended!) by her enthusiasm and vigour.
In an adorable gesture, captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli, acknowledged Charulata Ji and met her on the field. He soon took to Instagram to post photos with the super fan with the cutest caption, “Also would like to thank all our fans for all the love and support and especially Charulata Patel ji. She’s 87 and probably one of the most passionate and dedicated fans I’ve ever seen. Age is just a number, the passion takes you leaps and bounds. There was only love and blessings for the whole team in her eyes. What an inspiration. With her blessings, on to the next one. 🙏🏼😇🙏😇”
Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh, and a lot of Bollywood celebs dropped in praises on Virat Kohli’s endearing post.
In an interview with a leading daily, Charulata Ji revealed, “When Kapil paaji won the World Cup in 1983, I was there as well. Whenever Indian cricketers come over (to England) to play, I pray for them. I am a big believer of Lord Ganesh and I have full faith that India will win. I bless the players, I hope they take care, do well and give us a chance to win.”
Mahindra Group’s chairman, who avoids watching India’s matches because he fears he will jinx it, found Charulata so amusing that he switched on his TV just to watch her in the stands. He took to Twitter and wrote, “Find out who she is & I promise I will reimburse her ticket costs for the rest of the India matches!😊”
As she cheered for the Indian team, wheelchair-bound Charulata Patel Ji took the Internet by storm when she blew a bright yellow vuvuzela and waved the Indian flag. Numerous people had wonderful things to say about this enthusiastic fan, who despite being 87, found the will to not only turn up for the match but also stand for the most part and root for our players on the field.
Isn’t that sweet? We hope to see Charulata Patel Ji cheering for India in the World Cup final as well! *fingers crossed*
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India will now be facing Sri Lanka in their next game on July 6, 2019.
Featured Image: Instagram
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