As the popular saying goes, Cricket is nothing short of a religion in India. Fans flock to the stadiums in their thousands while millions more sit glued in front of the television sets when the Indian cricket team are in action.
But if you thought their love for cricket is only restricted to the members of the Indian team, you are hugely mistaken – The visiting South African team can vouch for that. The Proteas 72-day-long tour of India is still in its infancy with only the T20 series and two One-Day Internationals being completed yet.
A section of the crowd at Cuttack brought disrepute to the proper cricket fans’ love for the game as they resorted to throwing bottles on to the ground of play during the 2nd T20I between the two teams. But that has not clouded the thoughts of the visitors as they have dedicated their latest episode of their ongoing ‘tour diaries’ video series to the Indian cricket fans crazy love for the game.
“Everywhere you go, there are people queuing up to interact with the players, take pictures, do interviews. We get to the gate two hours before the game starts and the grounds are packed. It’s phenomenal,” South African coach Russell Domingo says kicking off the video.
The success of the IPL has gone a long way in helping the Indian fans get to know overseas players better, but there are few who command as much love as the South African duo of AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis.
“They’re very passionate over here. They seem to find their way onto you on the twelfth floor and at 11 O’clock in the evening as well. But that’s their passion and cricket is their No 1 love. It is great to see that they are enjoying us and also supporting us when we are playing well,” Du Plessis said. “They do really enjoy South African cricket team.”
Both Domingo and Du Plessis, however, is in no doubt as to which South African players the Indian fans reserve their biggest cheer for, as was evident by the reception he received when he went out to bat at Dharamsala.
“I think AB is as big as any of the Indian players in terms of the admiration that the spectators have for him,” Domingo said.
Here’s the beautifully shot video showcasing the craziness of the average Indian cricket fan in all its wonder posted by none other than De Villiers on his official Twitter account.
Check RCB Squad 2024 Details. Follow Sportskeeda for IPL 2024 Live Score, Schedule, Points Table
