Kohli mania adds to the flavour

well documented .That Virat can hold his own and take on both friend and foe is also no state secret. That he is not one to be awed by any person or occasion was evident at the reception hosted by the Indian High Commissioner at Lord’s Long Room.

As the MC for the evening went around asking Mike Brearley, Andrew Strauss and others about India-England cricket, the guests present were busy chatting. Irked by this rather rude disturbance, Kohli quickly stepped in to request everyone, politely but firmly, to listen to the interesting cricket conversation and keep the socialising bit for later. Result of this gentle rebuke on the invited audience: hushed silence!

In England, Kohli mania is part of the enormous support for the Indian team. For them, every match, in Birmingham or Oval, is a ‘home’ game.

Indian fans fill the stadiums and add colour, flavour and lots of noise to cricket in England.

Traditionally, matches here are played in front of an appreciative crowd in dignified, respectful silence. For India games, however, the norm has changed: cricket is now high octane, high decibel, dholak and dhamaal entertainment. Not just ordinary stands, even top end corporate boxes/executive suites are run over by Indian fans. Cricket attracts everyone, the elite and the ordinary, and such is the cultural fusion, it is not unusual for the entitled to drink champagne, eat chaat papri and animatedly discuss the subtleties of cricket.