Barabati ODI: Loudest Cheer From ‘Virat’ Fans As India Wins The Toss

Cuttack: He bought a ticket for Rs 2000 and is all geared up with the tricolour painted on his nose and the name of India skipper Virat Kohli on his chest to cheer the Men in Blue in the ODI series-decider between India and West Indies at Barabati Stadium here on Sunday.

As the fan had wished India won the toss, but elected to field with pacer Navdeep Saini making his debut.

Braving the early morning chill, thousands of cricket fans had assembled at the stadium here, which was thrown open to them at 10 am.

They welcomed Virat and Co with quirky placard and posters as they reached the stadium at around 12. They were also seen taking pictures at ‘I Love Cricket’ selfie zone.

Among the fans are Nikash Kanhar of Kandhamal and Pintu Behra.

Behera has inked 16 permanent tattoos of the skipper, including his Jersey No. 18, on his body. He revealed that he had spent over one lakh on these tattoos. A cricket aficionado, he loves Virat Kohli for his batting style and got the tattoos made as a show of respect for the cricketer.

“I go to watch every cricket match of Virat Kohli within the country,” he said.

In October, he got a hug from the India captain during a Test match between India and South Africa at Visakhapatnam.  “I didn’t imagine that he would meet and hug me. It was a special moment for me,” he added.

On the other hand, Kanhar had once sold off his mother’s jewellery to finance his travel to Mohali in Punjab.  “If I get a chance, I will take a selfie with Virat on December 22,” he said.

The series is currently tied at 1-1 after team India won the second ODI by a huge margin of 107 runs. The Windies had won the first match by 8 wickets.