You must have heard about the Barmy Army. You may have even heard about the Swamy Army and Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar's fan, Sudhir Gautam. Now, meet Bhandup-based 34-year-old Nikhil Dhanawade who moves around supporting the Mumbai Ranji team
Nikhil Dhanawade
Nikhil Dhanawade
Indore: You must have heard about the Barmy Army. You may have even heard about the Swamy Army and Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar's fan, Sudhir Gautam. Now, meet Bhandup-based 34-year-old Nikhil Dhanawade who moves around supporting the Mumbai Ranji team.
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He is in Indore too, right above the Mumbai dressing room, all charged up, and yelling support for the 41-time champions during their final against Gujarat at Holkar Stadium. Mumbai doesn't have too many supporters here, the bane of playing in neutral venues, but despite being the lone fan around, he is making all the right noises and making himself heard at the players' enclosure as well.
Those chants
"Come on, Mumbai! Come on Shardul! Come on Nayar! Well bowled, keep it up!" Dhanawade made good use of his vocal chords to boost the morale of the players.
This is not the first time Dhanawade is cheering for Mumbai in the final. Last season, he went to Pune to see his team beat Saurashtra in the title clash. Before that, he enjoyed Mumbai's title triumph against the same team at Wankede Stadium in 2013. And among all these finals he remembers Mumbai's win over Saurashtra in Pune because of Shardul Thakur's match-winning spell (13.2-1-26-5) in the second innings.
Shardul, the key
"I still remember Shardul's spell. I again expect him to bowl with the same rhythm against Gujarat and help Mumbai win their 42nd Ranji title," said Dhanawade, who played for United Cricketers at the club level. Dhanawade, who was a bowling all-rounder, now runs an automobile shop, but he is living his dream by supporting the team he longed to represent.
He had a dream
"It was my dream to play for Mumbai. I am 34 and I know it's too late. But I am living my dream watching Mumbai win the Ranji Trophy year after year," said Dhanawade, adding that people need to support domestic cricket and cricketers too. "There are fans who support the Indian team and its players during international matches, but first-class cricket is also very tough and we need to encourage these players," he added. The Mumbai u-16 team is in Indore to play the Vijay Merchant Trophy quarters against Vidarbha from today.
Dhanawade got the youngsters to cheer for Mumbai medium pacers Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Jr) and Abhishek Nayar towards the end of the day.
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