Skipper Virat Kohli sends match tickets to super fan Charulata

While Patel and her family were late by an hour, she was touched to receive a personalised, handwritten message from the Indian captain

Leeds: Team India's super fan — Charulata Patel, 87 — who became an internet sensation during India's last match against Bangladesh at Birmingham, arrived for the India v Sri Lanka match here on Saturday after the Indian skipper Virat Kohli promised her tickets for the remaining India games.

While Patel and her family were late by an hour, she was touched to receive a personalised, handwritten message from the Indian captain. It read: "It is so inspiring to see your love and passion for our team and I hope you enjoy the games with your family."

"We have a public relations manager for her. There have been so many requests for interviews and other things," Patel's granddaughter Anjali told mid-day. The effects of instant stardom, you can call this.

An handwritten note from skipper Virat Kohli to Patel. Pic/ Harit N Joshi

Meanwhile, another senior citizen — Vijayaben Yadav, 85 — made her way to Headingley and one television media person mistook her for Patel. He only realised his mistake when he did not get the desired answers from the fan.

ICC slams air messages

An aircraft tows a banner at Leeds on Saturday. Pic /Bipin Patel

An airplane hovered over the ground with political messages thrice on Saturday. The first appeared at the start of the match with a 'Justice for Kashmir' message.

Then, between Overs 10 and 15, the airplane appeared with the message, 'India stop genocide and free Kashmir.' However, a plane flew again before the innings break. This time, it carried a marriage proposal: 'Tamara will you marry me: Sam.' A quick round of applause followed. Around 20 overs into the India innings, there appeared another message: 'Help end mob lynching in India.'

A similar incident, political in nature, was witnessed during the Pakistan v Afghanistan match here. The ICC was quick to slam the incident. "We are incredibly disappointed that this has happened again. We do not condone any sort of political messages at the ICC Cricket World Cup. Throughout the tournament we have worked with local police forces around the country to prevent this type of protest occurring."

Umpire Ian Gould retires

Ian Gould doffed his hat to acknowledge the crowd before doing duty in his last international match on Saturday. Gould, who finished his career with 74 Tests and 140 ODIs, was lavished with praise on the public announcement system before the game began. The former England wicketkeeper, who figured in the 1983 World Cup, is nicknamed Gunner for his time with the Arsenal youth set-up before venturing into cricket.

Aravinda feels the heat

Aravinda de Silva (left), Sanath Jayasuriya (centre) and his son Ranuka during Saturday's tie

With Leeds enjoying bright and sunny weather on Saturday, former Sri Lanka batsman Aravinda de Silva, who wanted to watch the match as an ordinary spectator here, felt the afternoon heat was harsh. There was no roof to protect one's head from the sun and the Sri Lankan legend immediately looked out for some shelter. When he found a cool spot, he got inundated with requests for selfies. This resulted in chaos and the security in-charge requested him to return to his original seat. But De Silva preferred standing under the shelter.

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