The colourful crowd at the ongoing World Cup has given us some epic moments on the television, thousands of miles away. Be it the jaw-dropping expressions of England fans in the background when Ben Stokes took a sensational catch; or the reaction of a Pakistan fan when a fielder dropped the catch in the deep that became the source of so many memes; or Rihanna being spotted at a West Indies game, cheering her schoolmate Carlos Brathwaite on.
But all those moments will be at best second to what we saw during the match between India and Bangladesh in Birmingham on Tuesday.
During the India innings, when the batsmen were entertaining the crowd with their stroke-making abilities, one fan was spotted blowing the vuvuzela with so much zeal that commentators Harsha Bhogle and Sourav Ganguly instantly declared it the best crowd shot of the World Cup.
And why not. It was 87-year-old Charulata Patel, who became an internet sensation after she was spotted cheering India on, face-paint and all.
After she caught the attention of everyone with her infectious enthusiasm, she managed to get acquainted with the Indian stars as well .
In an interview with the ICC insider Ridhima Pathak, Patel said:
“I am 87 years old. I like cricket because my children used to play in Surrey County. I was born in Tanzania. My parents are from India that’s why I have so much pride for the country. I have been watching cricket since I was 20 years-old. I feel like they [the players] are my kids and that’s why I am supporting them. About all the attention, I am feeling a little shy, must have done some 4-5 interviews now!”
The Superfan then got to meet with centurion Rohit Sharma as well as Indian captain Virat Kohli after the match.
Needless to say, she has become an internet sensation:
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