North Indian city, Jaipur, was draped in ‘blue’ as more than 10 thousand cricket lovers thronged at the Swai Mansingh Stadium on Wednesday morning with roaring chants of ‘Mumbai Cha Raja’ to watch Rohit Sharma. The former India captain returned to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s premier domestic 50-over competition, after a gap of seven years. He turned out for Mumbai, who were taking on Sikkim in a first-round fixture of the tournament in Jaipur.
With the state association announcing free entry, thousands of fans queued up outside the stadium well before the scheduled start of play on Wednesday. Even before the Mumbai team bus arrived at the venue, a few thousand supporters had already taken their seats, eager to cheer one of the most successful ODI batters the country has produced.
It was a rare opportunity for fans to watch Rohit up close. With no live television or streaming coverage for the Mumbai–Sikkim contest, cricket lovers in the city were keen not to miss the moment.
Rohit acknowledged the affection of the crowd, taking time to wave whenever he found himself fielding near the boundary ropes as Sikkim won the toss and elected to bat first. He was stationed in the slip cordon in the beginning as the atmosphere at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium took on the feel of an international fixture.
But later on, “Mumbai cha Raja, Rohit Sharma” chants compelled the former Indian captain to place him on the boundary so that the fans could watch him from close. Two stands were initially opened for the fans to watch Rohit Sharma, but today the crowd grew so large that all the remaining stands had to be opened as well.
