For those who have been keen watchers of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches involving the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a man with yellow colour all over his body including his hair and a huge CSK flag would be quite familiar. TNM caught up with Saravanan Hari, one of CSK’s most popular ‘Superfan’ to know more about his adoration of MS Dhoni and the team.
Though Saravanan started watching IPL in 2008 when it first began, it was not until 2013 that the 35-year-old marketing executive decided to don a fresh, catchy avatar while going to the stadium. “I am a Chennai local boy and it is 'Thala' Dhoni. So I wanted to do something to express my admiration and decided to paint myself and appear for matches in the stadium," he says. Though he had initially planned to paint himself only for one game, due to the support from other fans of CSK and Dhoni, he continued it for seven more matches that season and more.
Saravanan hails from a humble family and started out as a staff member in Sastha traders in Chetpet, Chennai, which deals with retail trade of cement. However, his enthusiasm for cricket and his general work ethic caught the eye of his managing director, who gave him a promotion as a marketing executive.
For Saravanan, Dhoni is more like family and hence his sudden retirement from international cricket hit him hard. “My brain knows that Dhoni will eventually retire and stop playing and that the time is close. My heart, however, cannot accept this easily. It wanted to see Dhoni batting for one last time. I think it was a good thing that Dhoni retired very silently, just like how he entered the team. His entry and exit from world cricket were very simple, but during the time he played, he did a lot for the game,” he explains.
When asked how playing under COVID-19 restrictions has changed the experience for fans like him, Saravanan admits that it is indeed hard to miss the experience associated with watching the game live in stadiums. “I am sure even the players find it strange to play without an audience. It is for the good, given the current circumstances. This is temporary and I am sure things will revert to normal and that we fans will be able to watch matches in stadiums soon,” he adds.
Expressing hope that CSK will pick up pace in the coming matches, he says the presence of senior players like Faf (du Plessis) is an asset for the team. “Piyush Chawla has not settled in yet. He has played only two matches and he will soon find his rhythm. This year's CSK is a super team,” he signs off.