Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who is leading the team in the ongoing Asia Cup in Sri Lanka took some time off from his practice to meet one of the biggest cricket fans in the world, Percy Abeysekera. The 87-year-old Sri Lankan, who has been following the game since his childhood and is a hardcore fan, was greeted by Rohit Sharma at his residence in Colombo.
Sharma made this visit at the request of another superfan, Gayan Senanayake, whom he visited along with Virat Kohli during the 2022 Asia Cup. The duo had met the specially abled Sri Lankan cricket fan in Dubai after the Pakistan game. Abeysekera is not unknown to Indian cricketers, as he was invited into the Indian dressing room in 2015 after Day 3 of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo.
Sharma and Abeysekera seem to be talking about India’s upcoming game against Pakistan on Sunday, September 10. The 87-year-old had some difficulty hearing the Indian captain, but Sharma patiently conversed with him, informing him that the last game was interrupted by rain and that the team would see him at the ground.
In an interview with Rev Sportz, Abeysekera mentioned the 2015 incident, saying, "Actually, in the India match, Virat Kohli was batting well, they went to the dressing room and called me. I went to the dressing room, and everyone started dancing and cheering. I danced with them.”
He further mentioned that Virat Kohli took special permission from the security to let the Sri Lankan inside.
Rohit is also known to be very friendly towards his fans, to the extent that he once paid for the flight back for a Sri Lankan fan whose father was in a medical emergency. Rohit will look to delight his fans on Sunday, September 10, by coming back to his form as India take on Pakistan in their first Super Four game at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Sharma smashed 74 off 59 balls against minnows Nepal in the last game but struggled against Pakistan in the opening game.