Meet the enthusiastic 87-year-old who is Indian cricket team’s biggest fan

India won its match against Bangladesh by 28 runs at the ICC Cricket World Cup in Edgbaston, England, booking themselves a place in the semifinal of this prestigious tournament. But no, it was not the winning team or the men in blue that hogged the limelight.

Who really stole the limelight at this match was 87-year-old Charulata Patel, a fan of the Indian cricket team. With the Indian tricolour painted on her face, a tricolour in one hand, and a vuvuzela in another, the octogenarian was an epitome of enthusiasm and energy throughout the match. The fact that she was on a wheelchair did not stop her from breaking into a rapturous celebration every time Team India grabbed a wicket or scored a boundary.

The cameras spotted her first with her vuvuzela and couldn’t get enough of her. She appeared on the cameras across the duration of the match, and became an instant celebrity, her photos and videos going viral.

What is wonderful that the captain and vice-captain of the Indian cricket team – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – had a great chat with her after the match, thanking her for all her support and getting her blessings for the future matches. In fact, Virat Kohli also posted a thank you note for her on his Twitter account.

It is no surprise that this ardent fan caught the eye of noted Indian industrialist Anand Mahindra, who promised to “reimburse her ticket costs for the rest of the India matches.” Isn’t that just wonderful? Mahindra is the Chairman of the Mahindra Group, an Indian conglomerate that operates in information technology, aerospace, retail, real estate, and financial services among others.

Doesn’t this show that age is just a number? If you have the zeal, nothing can stop you from living life and having fun. What do you say?