Former basketball player Ray Allen expressed his admiration for India in relation to fans watching cricket matches and also the country’s vibrant atmosphere. He witnessed Suryakumar Yadav’s remarkable T20 innings at Wankhede Stadium, where the Mumbai Indians batter scored an unbeaten 103(49)* against the Gujarat Titans on May 12. Prior to the game, Allen had the opportunity to meet with the Mumbai Indians players, adding to his memorable experiences in India.
“From young people to old people, everybody was into it. You could see how enthralled they were in the game. It was great to see people being excited to come to a game because it’s theirs. As much as the players are the heroes and people enjoy them, I didn’t get the sense that they were the idols or the sports figures.
“To me, it felt like the fans made the game. The fact that they show up shows it is their game… Watching the match in India made me realise that fans make the game big. We were driving through Mumbai, and saw hundreds of people out there playing cricket. Just working on the game trying to get better. It is a culture here,” he told Hindustan Times.