Virat Kohli fan mortgages mother's jewellery to watch him bat

Like millions in the country, 33-years-old Nikash Kanhar is a Virat Kohli fan. It appears to be a normal thing until you actually see him. A man approaching mid-30s he is standing in the Pavilion Terrace of the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali where the Indian team is playing the 3rd Test against England. He is naked from the top and his face and the torso is colored in the tri-color of the Indian nation flag.

He has the name ‘Virat’ and his jersey number — 18 painted on his chest while has India written on his forehead. Nikash hails from Phulbani in Odisha’s Kandhamal district. He is a bus conductor at the village bus stand and earns around Rs. 200-250 a day which is barely enough to meet ends. He flew his way to Mohali from Bhuvneshwar and had to mortgage his mother’s jewellery to pay for the tickets. “I mortgaged my mother’s jewellery and generated some Rs 25,000. I bought tickets for Rs 11,000 to come here.” He was quoted by Bangalore Mirror as saying.

He agrees that it isn’t very sane to do that but also admits that is how it is. “Who toh hai (that’s how it is),” It would never be easy for someone to convince their family to mortgage gold just for the sake of watching a cricket match rather a cricketer in action. “There was an argument,” he said.

“But I convinced my mother. All she wants is a photo of Virat and I in the same frame. I don’t know how soon that is likely to happen. Where returning the money is concerned, dhekh lenge. Ma hi to hai (Let’s see how I can do it. It is mother’s money after all).”

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His father who is a vegetable vendor wasn’t pleased either but Kanhar ignored wasn’t bothered by it, “Woh bolte hain, par sunta kaun hai (he keeps cribbing, but who listens).”

He always loved playing and watching cricket but isn’t sure how and when he fell in love with Virat. “Like everyone, I would play cricket but wasn’t that good at it,” he says. “Match dekhne ka bukhar pehle se chada tha, Virat ka kaise chad gaya, pata nahi (I loved watching cricket but don’t know exactly when I fell in love with Kohli).”

He has a strange superstition of sorts.  “I don’t brush or bathe till Kohli is finished with his innings. I don’t even to for my job that day.” Kanhar said.

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