Highlights
- Bharat Army is a global community of cricket fans who support Team India
- Bharat Army was formed in 1999 by four friends in the UK
- The cricketing community has featured in Cricket Australia's 'Made of play' campaign
They turn up in cricket merch, they cheer and chant, dominate the crowd numbers, and create an electrifying atmosphere in the stadiums - bringing India to the world.
Bharat Army – the globally popular community of cricket supporters that was formed by four friends in the UK in 1999 has today risen to popularity in many countries around the world, including in Australia where the club has over 100,000 followers.
Their colourful fans and unique banter have enlivened many international games to the extent that they are often credited for redefining and reinvigorating the experience of watching cricket in the stadium.
In an interview with SBS Punjabi, Bharat Army’s Sahil Sood speaks about the “amazing journey” of the group that over the years has grown from a small gathering of cricket fans into an official travel company that also organises fan events during the cricketing season.
Members of the Bharat Army cheering for the Indian team in Australia. Source: Facebook/Bharat Army
“We turn up at every match whenever the Indian team is playing. We have drummers and supporters who turn up in cricket gear to entertain other supporters and to of course enjoy the game. The journey so far has been amazing,” he said.
Talking about the ongoing India-Australia cricket season, the Sydney-based fan who is looking forward to India’s win at the Boxing day Test match in Melbourne on Saturday acknowledged that this year has been hard on the game and its supporters but added that there’s nothing that a good win can’t change.
“India lost the ODI series, but soon recovered in the T20 format. Yes, we had a bad day at the Adelaide Oval, but we still have the iconic Boxing Day Test and we know India can and will recover,” he said.
Mr Sood sounded hopeful of India’s prospects in the ongoing series even though the team would be going to the field without their captain, Virat Kohli who has returned to India for the birth of his first child.
“There’s no doubt that his absence leaves a huge hole, but on the other, it’s a fantastic opportunity for the other players to step up and prove their mettle in Kohli’s absence,” he added.
The Bharat Army has been showcased by Cricket Australia in their ongoing campaign ‘Made of Play’ initiated to amplify support for the game that has seen multiple disruptions owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The campaign aims to generate a groundswell of cricket in its unstructured form of backyard cricket to bring people together during the Christmas and Boxing Day period.
Click on the player above to listen to the audio in Punjabi.
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