LKO GREETS GABBAR IN TYPICAL STYLE

He is the ‘Gabbar’ of Team India and his flamboyant style – on and off it always draws people to him. And Lucknow was no different for dashing opener Shikhar Dhawan, when he came out of the arrival terminal of the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, on Monday afternoon.

A huge gathering of fans, which had been waiting since morning, despite knowing the arrival schedule of both India and West Indies teams for the Tuesday’s T20, greeted Gabbar in his own style: slapping their thighs and twirling the moustache. Dhawan let loose his trademark smile and even waved to them from the bus.

Stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma along with his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, who donned a long, yellow dress, too was cheered and waved at by fans.

There was special applause for Uttar Pradesh’s own Chinaman bowler, Kuldeep Yadav, when he appeared at last, whereas the other UP team member, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and his wife Nupur Nagar acknowledged the crowd sporting a big smile on their faces. Greeting the guests was mayor Sanyukta Bhatia who greeted both the Indian and the West Indies players with garlands. The enthusiasm of fans was such that they chased the teams’ buses to their respective hotels. Team India was even greeted by school children and fans outside their hotel in Gomti Nagar.

The two teams chose not to practise on the eve of the match. They are expected to attend the launch ceremony of the stadium at 10 am, on Tuesday, in presence of chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

GREETING THE GUESTS WAS MAYOR SANYUKTA BHATIA WHO WELCOMED BOTH THE INDIAN AND THE WI PLAYERS WITH A GARLANDS

Enthusiastic fans cheer for cricketers at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport on their arrival

DEEPAK GUPTA/HT Shikhar Dhawan acknowledging the crowd

Mayor Sanyukta Bhatia welcoming the players

Coach Ravi Shastri and Shreyas Iyer

Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah

Umesh Yadav

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar his wife Nupur Nagar

Dinesh Kartik

Lokesh Rahul

Kuldeep Yadav

Manish Pant with a WI player