Fanatic & in full blue'm
They wear their allegiance to Team India to parties, pubs and screenings across the city as the ICC T20 WC gets into the thick of action.
Pegged as favourites to claim the T20 World Cup, host country India did not get off to the greatest of starts, though their win against Pakistan had made fans hopeful again. Despite the embarrassing loss to New Zealand in the first match, die-hard fans rooted for the team in the mammoth and historical fixture, India versus Pakistan and continue to support the Men in Blue.
From loud screening parties with themed snacks, drinks, games and barbeques to dressing up their infants in Indian colours, cricket obsessives across the city are wearing their patriotism on their sleeves this summer.
Says Shane Lobo, an entrepreneur in the city, “It’s normal to catch the matches on TV with a gang of friends, but this year, I’ve got a four-month-old daughter at home. We plan to dress her all in blue for the days when India are playing. It may not be such a greatly adventurous thing to do, but it’s definitely fun.”
Mahima S Tamang shares that she is all set for the matches with a blue and green mani-pedi. “I love mani-pedis and get them done regularly. This time, when I booked my appointment I told them I needed a special ‘India’ themed treatment for the World Cup and they obliged. So now my finger and toe nails sport a mix of green and blue colours,” she reveals.
Even with Earth Hour having fallen on the all-important India-Pak clash, faithful followers broke their annual tradition. “I switch off for Earth Hour every year, but this year I gave it a miss. However, I made up by going without electricity for an hour post the match,” says, Pawan Mahlingam, an advertising professional.
Combining food and cricket, Aditi Devi, an innovation consultant is planning to pull out all the stops with a poolside barbecue party. “I’ll be having a barbecue party with a few chilled cocktails to beat the heat,” shares the young lady.
Extremely superstitious, Gaurav Sharma, a graphic designer started off with buying himself a brand new India jersey. “I have also decided to take to Twitter and pretend to be an expert by sharing my thoughts on the matches. I will also never leave my spot during a match if India are doing well,” he says with a laugh, adding, “And this is just for the league stage.”