The India-Bangladesh World Cup match was a tense affair and besides the players of both team playing some brilliant cricket, there was one person in the gallery who stood out. Cheering for Team India, 87-year-old Charulata Patel won hearts and the internet with her enthusiasm and passion. Images and videos of her zealously cheering for India have gone viral.
Charulata Patel was caught by the cameras blowing a horn and enthusiastically cheering on the team. She also had her cheeks painted in India colours. It wasn't long before images of her went viral on social media.
India skipper Virat Kohli met Charulata Patel and thanked her for her unfaltering support to India after their victory over Bangladesh by 28 runs. India have now qualified for the semifinals of the World Cup.
Kohli also tweeted an image with Charulata Patel, calling her one of the most passionate and dedicated fans.
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. 🙏🏼😇 pic.twitter.com/XHII8zw1F2
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 2, 2019
“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 tweeted.
Charulata Patel blessed the team and said she wished India would win the World Cup. She added that the Indian players are like her kids. “I love this Indian team and all the players are like my kids”.
In a video clip posted by the Twitter account of the Cricket World Cup, Charulata Patel is seen blessing and kissing Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
How amazing is this?!
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 2, 2019
India's top-order superstars @imVkohli and @ImRo45 each shared a special moment with one of the India fans at Edgbaston.#CWC19 | #BANvIND pic.twitter.com/3EjpQBdXnX
Vice-captain Rohit smashed his fourth century this World Cup and is only the second cricketer after Kumar Sangakkara to do so. His century came off 92 balls and included included seven fours and five sixes. He is now also the leading run-scorer in the ongoing World Cup having taken over Australia's David Warner.
The 32-year-old opener also broke Mahendra Singh Dhoni's record of hitting the most number of sixes in ODIs. He surpassed Dhoni, who has hit 228 sixes in ODIs.
Rohit and K.L. Rahul's opening stand of 180 runs gave India the initial boost it needed to post a mammoth score against Bangladesh. Jasprit Bumrah's brilliant spell during the death overs ensured India's win over Bangladesh and a spot in the last four stage.
