The 500 who lifted the spirits of XI

The Bharat Army in action during the Perth Test

Even the most ardent of Indian cricket fans would have been heartbroken as the visitors were stung by some fiery Aussie pace to be bowled out for 150 on Day One of the opening Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series in Perth. But, not the Bharat Army at the Optus Stadium. In fact, according to the troupe's founder Rakesh Patel, their 500-strong ‘force' at Perth got more vocal in support of the Indian team.

"Cricket Australia was kind enough to offer us two block bays at the Stadium - that's a total of 500 seats - and our enthusiastic bunch were only too happy to fill them. Day One to Day Four witnessed a full scale celebration for the Bharat Army. We're still dancing," Patel told mid-day over the phone from Perth on Monday following India's whopping 295-run win over Australia.

Bharat Army founder Rakesh Patel; (right) The Bharat Army cheering for Team India during the recent Perth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series

Apt dhol support

Back to the opening day. Patel revealed that his in-stadia fan bunch only got more upbeat with every passing wicket. "The Bharat Army got louder than usual at that time [when India were losing wickets] with our dhols beating throughout, because we strongly believe that when our team is down, that's when they need the support of their fans. Given that India and Australia are the two best Test-playing nations with some intense rivalry, there will be ups and downs for both teams. But as Indian fans, the Bharat Army will always be ardent supporters of Team India in any situation. Even the BCCI has acknowledged our efforts by inviting us to party with the Indian team when they beat Australia here on their last tour [2020-21]. At Perth, once again we showed that our wholehearted cheering can lift the spirits of Team India," added Patel, with the assurance that this support will only grow as the series progresses.

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"The Bharat Army was initiated in 1999. Today it has 200,000 registered members across the globe and over two million social media followers.

Global appeal

"We are growing worldwide and so is our touring troupe. In fact, for the Boxing Day Test [fourth Test] at the ‘G' [Melbourne Cricket Ground] the Bharat Army will have a 1,000-strong presence. We promise to be even louder and hopefully cheer India on to a series victory," Patel signed off.