Cricket's top 6 'torchbearers'

Cricket is followed by people of all ages and from all walks of lifeCricket is an enthralling game, enjoyed by people of all ages and all formats alike. There are certain fans, though, who stand out amongst the crowd, creating a name for themselves and drawing attention.The raw energy they produce at each game, joining in unison with many people to uphold the spirit of players on the field, thereby etching their names amongst the names of great cheerleaders is tremendous.Coming in, cheering for every game their team plays in is something that can be classified under the banner titled “Passion”.Here’s a look at the top 6 biggest cricket fans the world has grown to see.

#1 Percy Abeysekera (Sri Lanka)

Percy following Jayasuriya back to the pavillion

A fan is a person who is labelled great by the number of people who know him. Percy is one such person who can comfortably walk into any Sri Lankan stadium, only to be throbbed by several cricket enthusiasts gunning for a photo with the great man.

The octogenarian from Sri Lanka has been following cricket since 3 decades and the passion over Sri Lankan cricket never seems to die on him. He modestly even thanks his elder sister for presenting a book to him on cricket, without which he would never have stepped a foot into the giant industry of cricket.

He is known for his customary flag waving behind a Sri Lankan player when they lose their wicket. Whenever a batsman would get out, Percy would run out to the boardings, and when the player reached the boardings, Percy would quietly, tirelessly wave the flag behind the player walking in unison as the batsman walked off into the dressing room.

Undeniably, Sri Lanka’s most zealous fan, during his peak age he would travel far off distances to wave the national flag and go on to cheer his team. Not only this, he is also known for his quick wit and rhyming sentences.

He is known to have baffled the world’s greatest cricket writers and pundits alike, with his motley vocabulary. When not using the pen, he devotes his full time towards the team and cheer them on for their success.

When questioned as to how long his love for Sri Lankan cricket would last, the man says, “As long as I am able to walk on my legs, I will be at the stadium cheering for the boys.”

#2 Chaudry Abdul Jalil (Pakistan)

Chacha Cricket – Pakistan cricket’s greatest mascots

Abdul Jalil, fondly referred to as “Chacha Cricket”, is Pakistan cricket’s greatest mascots. Like all other fans, he too used to lead an independent life, working in the Emirates. Often he was seen attending matches in Sharjah where Pakistan played, in his prominent green dress with a white star and crescent on it.

He then slowly began to realise his passion for cricket, resigned from his job and begun to follow Pakistani cricket to a whole new level by attending all the matches they played. His attire was what stood out amongst the crowd, with his long white beard, a green shalwar kameez dress and a cap with a coruscate star and crescent moon on it, representing the Pakistan Flag.

Having watched more than 200+ matches of Pakistan cricket, he was bound to be noticed and his time came when the Pakistan cricket board hired him, thereby gaining him free access to all Pakistan matches in and outside the country. He has travelled with Pakistan to all the different places they have played.

Although Chacha remains loyal to Pakistan, he carries on very well with all the other fans and has made a name for himself even in the ranks of the English ‘Barmy Army’.

#3 Sudhir Kumar Chaudary (India)

India’s greatest fan with one of the greatest batsman ever

Arguably the biggest and most devoted fan of the country is Sudhir Kumar Chaudary, also known as Sudhir Gautam. One of the only highly recognised fans of team India across the world, such is his support, that he is recognised and aided by the general public for his daily needs.

Be it anywhere, Sudhir is there. He seems omnipresent when the Indian team is playing. Painting his body with the tri-colours of India and the name of his icon Sachin Tendulkar etched to his chest, he is a notable figure amonsgt all the Indian fans, with his constant flag waving.

His signature move, if we can call it that is to blow the conch, signifying the arrival of the Indian players. He has attended every match featuring India since 2003, and when asked about his passion towards the team he modestly says that his sole passion and goal is to support team India.

The lad from Murzaffpur, Bihar which is also known as ‘Lychee Kingdom’ has done numerous things to ensure that he watches the Indian team in action. He has travelled ticketless in trains and has also cycled several kilometres to fulfill his desire of cheering his team on.

He entered his name in the hall of fame when he was called down by his idol Sachin himself to come and enjoy the World cup winning celebrations, and even lift the cup not to forget was given a chance to take a few snaps with the legendary master blaster. Even after Sachin retired, he did not shift to any other player, instead painted ‘Miss you Tendulkar’ on his chest, and continues his unconditional support to the team.

Noticing his vehement vigour and support towards the team, Sachin Tendulkar has from a few years even offered tickets to every match the team plays, an offer that any cricket fan could only dream of. This is all due to the passion the greatest Indian fan in history, Sudhir has for the game, and for his homeland.

#4 Gayan Senanayaka (Sri Lanka)

Rising for any happening in Sri Lankan cricket

Gayan is one of the biggest superfans that Srilanka has ever witnessed in the sporting arena of cricket. Having attended more than 200 matches at home and abroad, he has managed to attract many Srilankan hearts towards himself.

When he was 17, he saw SL clinch the 1996 World cup which was enough to initiate the spark to light up his flame of supporting the team with much vigour.

Stout build, strong will. Win or lose, Gayan is always right there in the mix, often voicing out several chants and creating jigs to enthrall the Sri Lankan fans. He single-handedly takes up the responsibility of giving unmatched support for the Lankan players on the field with much enthusiasm and energy.

#5 Rambabu (India)

Rambabu, a prominent Indian cricket fan

Indian cricket has witnessed many different fans over time. One special person picked out of the fan brigade is Rambabu, an ardent admirer of current Indian limited-overs team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

A man from Haryana, Rambabu represented Punjab till district level after which he had to abandon the game due to the untimely death of his father. However, this did not deter his attitude and love towards the sport.

Instead, he started to follow Indian cricket and idolised MS Dhoni. Now a few years down the line, he is seen sporting the Indian colours on his body, with Dhoni and the captain’s trademark number 7 in big, bold colours painted on his body.

The recently concluded World Cup and the subsequent tours in India witnessed Rambabu’s presence in almost every match even in which Dhoni did not feature which went on to prove how big in magnitude the fan is of Team India.

Recognising Rambabu’s support for the Indian team and Dhoni himself, he made sure that he rewarded Rambabu with a few tickets for every match.

Rambabu also claims that Dhoni was responsible for taking care of him when he fell sick during the Bangladesh tour, and the swashbuckling wicketkeeper ensured the best doctors of team India attended to him. Adding to this, Dhoni also took care of the flight ticket that was needed for the superfan to get back home.

#6 Adrian Raftery (Ireland)

Larry and Little Larry. Biggest Irish cricket fans.

Adrian Raftery, better known as ‘Larry the leprechaun’ is Ireland’s biggest cricket fan. Although brought up in Australia, he considers Ireland closest to his heart and makes an appearance at almost all Ireland matches played closed to Australia. His support for the Irish team dates back to the 2007 World cup and has not died since then.

Easily distinguishable while in his Leprechaun costume, Larry is now Ireland’s most prominent cricket superfan. Such is the support from him, he has also managed to rub off some of his support on his son Hamish, who is nicknamed “Little Larry”.

In the recently concluded World cup, Larry was there in every single match in which Ireland featured which earned him a lot of publicity.

He believes so much in the Irish, which makes him re-quote his father who once said, “There are 3 types of people in the world – the Irish, people who want to be Irish, and people who have no ambition.”

As long as Larry stays on to support the Irish, one can safely say that the Irish will surely not have the lack of support while representing the country on the field.