England captain Jos Buttler heaped praise on Indian cricket icons MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, highlighting the profound impact they have on their vast fan followings.
Dhoni and Kohli are gearing up to take the field as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will face off in the opening game of the IPL 2024 on March 22 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Well, Buttler compared the electric atmosphere surrounding Dhoni and Kohli's appearances to the fervour of concert headlined by American pop sensation Taylor Swift.
Jos Buttler told Fancode: “(There’s) that sort of fantasy around the IPL and the way the fans are is, like I say, unmatched. There’s guys like Dhoni and Kohli, when these guys walk on the field, it is probably like 10-year-olds at a Taylor Swift concert. It’s unbelievable, the noise that people create just to see them, you know? They are not even playing; they’re just walking out onto the field.”
He added, “Travelling through the airports there’s security all around them, guys trying to just take a selfie or get close to them. They are A-list celebs out there and the following they have. Now with social media the influence they have is incredible. So, it’s cool to see a bit of that.”
Buttler signed off by saying, “At times you want to shut yourself away in your room and just hide away. Obviously, we don’t have it to the level those guys I mentioned do. But it’s also cool to get that sort of recognition and feel like a bit of a rockstar. So, yeah, the fans are next level for cricketers and especially the big Indian stars, they really do idolise them.”
