Team India’s Superfan Charulata Patel passes away

New Delhi: Team India’s Superfan Charulata Patel, who grabbed eyeballs during the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales, has passed away. She was 87.

She died on January 13, as informed on her Instagram account.

Charulata Patel’s grandchildren shared the news on Instagram, saying: “With a heavy heart that I inform you, our beautiful grandmother took her final breath on 13/01 at 5.30pm. She was such a sweet little lady, it’s true ‘small things come in small packages’ our Dadi was a delight, she was/is truly extraordinary. She was our world. I want to thank you all for making her feel special last year, she loved the attention.”

“A big thank you to @virat.kohli you made her feel extra special, meeting you and @rohitsharma45 was the best day of her life (she told us this on multiple occasions). May Lord Shiva bless her atman always, please say a prayer”, they added.

As the news spread on the Internet, Twitterati offered condolence to Team India’s SuperFan Dadi Charulata Patel.

The ICC (International Cricket Council) on Thursday shared its condolences on Twitter as well. The tweet read, “R.I.P Charulata Patel ji, the 87-year-old superfan who cheered India on at #CWC19.”

The BCCI expressed grief on their official Twitter handle on Thursday and wrote: “Team India’s Superfan Charulata Patelji will always remain in our hearts and her passion for the game will keep motivating us. May her soul rest in peace.”

#TeamIndia‘s Superfan Charulata Patel ji will always remain in our hearts and her passion for the game will keep motivating us.

May her soul rest in peace pic.twitter.com/WUTQPWCpJR

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 16, 2020

Charulata had won almost everyone’s heart after she went to the Edgbaston Cricket in Birmingham to see India’s round-robin match against Bangladesh in July last year.

During the entire duration of that match, she was seen cheering enthusiastically for Team India. She blew a yellow vuvuzela like a child on every boundary scored. She also kept waving the tricolour.

And after the Men in Blue registered a 28-run win, which saw them qualify to the knockouts, skipper Virat Kohli and deputy Rohit Sharma had met Charulata. Both the Indian cricketers had walked up to her to seek her blessings.

Charulata, who was said to keep a close track of the team, had also expressed her wish to be present for Team India’s title victory at the iconic Lord’s on July 14. However, her wish remained unfulfilled as India were knocked out in the semi-finals at the hands of New Zealand.

After the match, Kohli had tweeted: “Also would like to thank all our fans for all the love and support and especially Charulata Patelji. She’s 87 and probably one of the most passionate and dedicated fans I’ve ever seen. Age is just a number, passion takes you leaps and bounds. With her blessings, on to the next one.

Published on: Jan 16, 2020 at 11:50 IST

IANS