If you’re a reporter who is looking to cover the mood of fans outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, then one of the tasks is to navigate through some massive peepal trees on the footpath. The roots of some of those trees are so extensive that you need to be good at the balancing act. On a rather pleasant evening, fans from either side of the road thronged the stadium to attend the Royal Challengers Bengaluru Unbox event. So, it was back to walking a tightrope as yours truly went from one side to another in order to capture the essence of the passion on display.
Even outside the stadium, the RCB fans created a din. Most of them were wearing RCB jerseys, alongside the customary caps. Few flags of RCB and Karnataka were on view as well. On the field, RCB might not have won an IPL title for 17 years, but fans’ enthusiasm refuses to die down. One of the fans told RevSportz: “That RCB haven’t won for 12, 17 or whatever years isn’t on my mind. I am here to always support them.” Obviously, a part of the fandom is also due to RCB possessing the iconic Virat Kohli in their ranks.
So, what does Kohli have to say about the new RCB skipper, Rajat Patidar? The experienced batter was effusive in his praise, “The guy who is going to come next, is a guy who will lead you guys for a long time,” he said. “So give him all the love you can.“He is an amazing talent. He is a great player, we all know that, but he has got a great head on his shoulders, and he will do a great job for this amazing franchise and take the team forward. He has got everything that’s required,” he added.
Meanwhile, Patidar, the swashbuckling batter, observed: “Legends like Virat bhai, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle have played for RCB. I grew up watching them. From the start, I have loved the franchise a lot. I am happier that I got a new role to lead one of the biggest teams in T20 cricket.”
Before the event, there was a team huddle with Andy Flower, RCB’s head coach, conducting it. The event also comprised some intra-squad contests – yorkers, high catches, range-hitting and more. It was Romario Shepherd, who won the six-hitting contest with a monstrous blow. The ball ended up somewhere on the nearby MG road. In fact, a couple of hits went out of the ground. Team Rajat took home the honours in those practice drills, usurping Team Jitesh 5-1. In-between, Kohli was seen indulging in some banter with England’s wicketkeeping-batter, Phil Salt.
Outside of cricket, Timmy Trumpet and Sanjith Hegde cranked it up with some epic performances. Eventually, it was about unveiling the RCB squad on the big stage. On expected lines, Kohli got the biggest cheers.
When asked about RCB’s dedicated fanbase, Kohli said: “Bombat” in Kannada (awesome).” On the other hand, Patidar was handed a momento with the words: ‘Rajat, you have been chosen as our next leader and you are ready. Enjoy it, and we are all behind you.”
When RCB play at their home ground, the reactions of the crowd are indeed Bombat. In a nutshell, one has to experience it first-hand to understand the splendid cacophony of a frenzied Chinnaswamy Stadium. On a Monday night, we saw a glimpse of it.