Representational image of Indian fans in a ground in Australia (Getty Images)
MELBOURNE: It was summer, 1999. A cricket match in Australia would usually be a sea of yellow. The Indian community in Australia was not large, but a small band of 15 wanted to paint the Adelaide stands blue for the India-Australia Test series. Raghav Bhatia was ‘I’ and Rakesh Jampala ‘D’ in the line of five to spell out ‘INDIA’ that day. India lost.
“But it was extraordinary. We knew we had to do it again,” said Rakesh, now 38.
They did. In the 21 years since, the two have attended every single Test India has played in Australia. And they were at Adelaide again on Thursday their 24th Test.