Indian women's team vice-captain Smriti Mandhana enjoys a massive fan following in her country and other parts of the world where cricket is considered a popular sport.
However, it was a little surprise to see her ardent fan in China. Such is his love for Mandhana that a Chinese young man named Jun Yu travelled 1200 kms from Beijing to Hangzhou to watch her in action.
The southpaw was part of the team that won the gold medal in Hangzhou Asian Games on Monday (September 25) by defeating Sri Lanka in the final.
Not only Mandhana, but Jun Yu is also fond of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah among others.
"I saw Jasprit Bumrah's spell against Australia in the 2019 World Cup. I follow both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. They are the current greats of the game. Then, there is Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah was extraordinary against Australia in the 2019 World Cup," Yu told PTI after India’s gold medal match.
When asked how did he learn about cricket, Yu replied: "Cricket lessons are given in my university in Beijing. So, I know a little bit of it."
In fact, Jun Yu shared interesting insight about the cricket arena for the Games, which was actually a flower garden some time back.
"There is not much cricket in China, very few cricket venues, very few people play it and many even don't know how it is played. Only Guangzhou, where cricket was played during the 2010 Asian Games has a permanent cricket stadium. It's because of historical reasons," he said.
While he admires Tendulkar, Yu's favourite cricketer is New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson.
"My favourite is Kane Williamson but Sachin Tendulkar is a legend of the game," he said.
Jun Yu is excited for the Indian men's team to play in the Asian Games when the competition gets underway on September 27.
"I spent 1000 Yuan (INR 11,400) to come here from Beijing. I have my studies and so I can't stay back for the men's tournament. I am returning to Beijing on Tuesday," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
