India’s cricket bosses yesterday led nationwide tributes following the death of the country’s wheelchair-bound “superfan” Charulata Patel at the age of 87.
The grandmother shot to attention after being spotted in the crowd watching India play Bangladesh at last year’s World Cup in England, enthusiastically blowing a vuvuzela and with the Indian tricolor painted on her cheeks.
After the match — which India won — captain Virat Kohli and vice captain Rohit Sharma sought out Patel and asked for her blessings for the rest of their campaign.
Photo: AFP
She was later featured in a Pepsi promotion cheering on the India team for the tournament.
Kohli said that she was “one of the most passionate and dedicated fans I’ve ever seen.”
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) paid tribute on Twitter after Patel’s family announced her death.
Photo: AFP
“#TeamIndia’s Superfan Charulata Patel-ji will always remain in our hearts,” the board wrote.
The family wrote on Patel’s official Instagram account that she had died on Monday.
They thanked Kohli for making her a social media sensation, saying that “she loved the attention.”
Meeting Kohli and Sharma had been “the best day of her life,” they said. “She told us this on multiple occasions.”
ENGLAND VS SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa yesterday grasped the initiative by dismissing both England opening batsmen between lunch and tea on the first day of the third Test at St George’s Park.
England were 117-2 at tea after captain Joe Root won the toss and decided to bat on a placid pitch on a hot, sunny day.
Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley gave England a solid start, reaching lunch at 61 for no wicket.
However, South Africa came back strong, dismissing both opening batsmen and keeping a tight rein on the scoring rate after lunch.
Kagiso Rabada had Sibley caught at backward square-leg for 36 and Anrich Nortje had Crawley caught in the same position for 44.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj conceded only 22 runs in 19 unbroken overs from the ground’s northern end, enabling South African captain Faf du Plessis to rotate his four fast bowlers from the southern end.
With the four-match series tied at 1-1, batting first appeared to be a considerable advantage on a pitch that had a covering of grass, but offered no help to the bowlers.
It was the sixth successive Test toss lost by Du Plessis.
South Africa picked new cap Dane Paterson as a specialist fast bowler in place of all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius.
“He’s a skiddy bowler who hits the top of the stumps,” said Du Plessis, who surprisingly decided that Paterson would share the new ball with Philander, with the quicker Rabada and Nortje having to wait for their turn.
England brought back fast bowler Mark Wood in place of the injured James Anderson.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Teng Kai-wei impressed against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday despite an 8-1 loss in the opener of the team’s nine-game road trip. Teng, the only Taiwanese pitcher active in MLB, struck out five while allowing two hits and one walk over four innings at Chase Field to finish with a no decision, as the teams were tied 1-1 when he finished his outing. He surrendered the lone run of his outing in the bottom of the first, which began with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts. Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo advanced to third on
New Zealand yesterday basked in “amazing” athletics glory after winning two gold medals in as many days at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Geordie Beamish on Monday claimed New Zealand’s first track gold in history with a shock victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, while high jumper Hamish Kerr followed with gold on Tuesday to make it an unprecedented double success for a country much better known for rugby than its prowess in track and field. Before this week, the country had won only six golds in total at the championships. Yesterday morning New Zealand were in the giddy position of fourth on
Rwanda is to take center stage from today as the first African country to host the cycling world championships, in its latest use of sports to improve the country’s reputation. As it prepares for 5,000 cyclists and 20,000 spectators, Rwanda has spruced up its roads, created a network of cycle lanes and run multiple police drills. A poor, landlocked country in east Africa still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used various sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organizational efficiency. It has spent lavishly on soccer sponsorship deals with clubs
DOUBLE: Harry Kane has now netted 12 goals in six games, scoring his second hat-trick this season after Bayern’s opening Bundesliga match against Leipzig last month That man again. Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season on Saturday to steer Bayern Munich to a 4-1 win at Hoffenheim for the best Bundesliga start any team has made after four rounds. The England captain scored before the break and converted two penalties after it to take his club tally to 12 goals in six games across all competitions — 13 goals in seven games including the German Supercup. Kane’s other hat-trick was in the Bundesliga-opening 6-0 rout of Leipzig. Bayern’s record of 12 points with a goal difference of 15-plus is the best after four rounds of the Bundesliga
RSS