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Follow UsAfter 38 days of nonstop action, the group-stage fixtures of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 came to an end. The last of the games happened closer home in Bangalore where India took on the Netherlands.
As usual, the buzz was around Virat Kohli and his 50th ton. Arguably, Bangaloreans are more possessive about the Delhi-born legend than even Delhiites themselves. The day was made even brighter given the occasion - the festival of lights, Diwali!
One could find the Indian blues all over Bangalore, not just near the Chinnaswamy. The craze was well and truly on, and the manner in which Team India had secured their last two victories, it seemed like the sport was doing something that nothing else had been able to do in recent times - Galvanize the nation.
The craze for the Indian cricket team had always been there, and added to the context of the ongoing World Cup - cricket seemed to be on everyone’s lips. Even those who had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Yesterday, I came across a foreigner who seemed a bit lost near Rajajinagar, which is a good seven kilometers from the stadium. Seeing my Indian jersey, he came up to me and asked in a thick French accent.
Is the Indian team playing today?
I answered in the affirmative and curiously asked him why he asked that.
Everyone thinks I’m Dutch. I’m tired of declining to speak in front of the camera. I don’t know anything about cricket.
We both had a hearty laugh, and I spoke briefly about the sport and India’s performance so far, while he spoke a bit about France and their performance in the recently concluded Rugby World Cup.
"Ahh, we lost to the Springboks by just one point. But the refereeing was atrocious."
As it turns out, the French skipper had echoed those thoughts, for he went on record the very next day to say,
"I think the refereeing wasn't up to the job"
Before bidding goodbyes, he hinted at probably pranking the next person who would ask him his thoughts on the ongoing game.
Funnily enough, that’s not the only interaction we had with Rugby lovers.
Late last month, we were in Chennai to do FanCams for the Pakistan - South Africa match. It seemed like Chennai, and their insatiable appetite for cricket finally found the perfect fodder - close encounters.
In a game that ebbed and flowed way too much for the faint-hearted, our moment of the day was when we bumped into a South African fan with the match far from over.
Hey, why’re you leaving so early?
Sorry, bro. Can’t talk to you right now. I’m flying to Paris at midnight to catch the Rugby finals tomorrow.
Not sure if our feelings were that of surprise or shock or a mix of both. It was probably the latter. But it’s the foreigners visiting India to follow their teams that have added so much color, flavor, and - if I may say - banter to the chatter.
A close friend of mine spoke about how a team of their American counterparts were visiting Bangalore last week. Throughout their trip, the entrance of their hotel was dotted with security personnel and camerapersons.
When he brought it up to his Indian team at work, he found out - much to his surprise - that the Indian cricket team was scheduled to play a World Cup match in a few days and they were put up in the same hotel as him. Where else would you see an American visiting India for the first time be so excited about cricket?
A sport he didn’t understand, names he’d never heard of, faces he’d never seen - but he was still delighted by the prospect of Virat Kohli being in the same hotel as him.
Anyways, it wasn’t just unknown cricket watchers who seemed to be surprised by the craze and euphoria behind cricket in the Indian subcontinent. After yesterday’s match - one that saw the Dutch being annihilated by the Indian batters, their fans had only this to say.
Our hearts were filled with pride to see how every boundary scored by our batters was also cheered with the same passion.
Do check our latest FanCam out to know what else fans had to say about yesterday's game.
Sure, fans didn’t get to witness Virat Kohli score his 50th ODI ton, but the cricketing Gods granted them pretty much everything else they wanted.
Including that of Virat Kohli taking a wicket.
If nothing else, Kohli's 51 in Bangalore has definitely ensured one thing.
Come the 15th of November, Mumbai will once again rise up to the hopes of a billion fans wanting to see the Delhiite go past one of their own.
