Charulata Patel, 87, the superfan whose heart beats for India

The octogenarian has been a regular in cricket matches in England. She was present at Lord’s in 1983 when Kapil Dev’s side lifted the Cup beating West Indies.

Charulata Patel, an 87-year-old woman, caught the attention of the broadcasters as she blew her yellow vuvuzela for Virat Kohli and Co. Here she congratulates Rohit Sharma and also has a word of advice for the hitman, who is in rousing form in the World Cup.

There are sports fans, and then there are superfans.

As Bangladesh kept looking for loose balls to chase down 315 against India in Birmingham — which was possible given its red-hot form in World Cup 2019 — the television cameras turned to the stands to check on the Asian-origin fans amid a handful of Brits.

Charulata Patel, an 87-year-old woman, caught the attention of the broadcasters as she blew her yellow vuvuzela for Virat Kohli and Co. The octogenarian’s prediction of an Indian victory came true.

After the match, Virat and Rohit Sharma — who scored a match-winning hundred — met Charulata to thank her for the support. She even received tickets for the India-Sri Lanka match from the Indian captain.

The Tricolour scarf and her indomitable spirit was also noticed by former England captain Michael Vaughan who took to Instagram to post it as “the picture of the World Cup”.

Charulata has been a regular in cricket matches in England. She was present at Lord’s in 1983 when Kapil Dev’s side lifted the Cup beating West Indies.

Known for doodles, Amul India paid a tribute to Charulata by calling her ‘Grandmother India’.