Virat Kohli always reacts to fans: How Mumbai's North Stand Gang from Wankhede Stadium show their love for cricket

If you have been to Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and heard, "Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaachin Sachin!," you have definitely heard the North Stand Gang because it's not only heard across the stadium but also through your television.

When Anish DeSouza, Ashutosh Shirke and Faraz Baig met in 2009 during India's test match against Sri Lanka little did they know that it would lead to a long-lasting friendship with the birth of the North Stand Gang. Till then, all of them had been watching India's matches but did not know each other as their interactions were only limited to the stadium. DeSouza reminisces, "Till that time, I had been to matches at the Wankhede Stadium but there were no mobile phones allowed inside the stadium. It was the first time they allowed mobile phones in the stadium. Many of us used to meet and chant together inside the stadium but we were not able to take their contact numbers to stay in touch."

DeSouza having enjoyed all the matches till then thought it would be nice to meet up with other fans every time India plays. "After the test match on Day 5, the match had got over early, so we went to the Stadium Restaurant opposite the road for a snack. When we were sitting around the table, we decided to start a group. We were inspired by the ‘Barmy Army', the group that travels all over for England's matches. Since most of us used to get together in the North Stand of Wankhede Stadium, we decided to call ourselves the ‘North Stand Gang'," DeSouza adds. Incidentally, Shirke says the North Stand has a history of being boisterous, passionate, having the loudest cheers, and even hostile at times. Their energy has continued the legacy.

While they met at the India versus Sri Lanka match that was held at Brabourne Stadium, the gang has come to occupy the North Stand of the Wankhede Stadium ever since then to watch every match India plays over the last 15 years. They started out as a gang of three but today have over 90 fans who are a part of the gang wearing a distinct white T-shirt bearing the 'North Stand Gang' name on them, and these not only include boys but also girls who are cricket fanatics.

North Stand Gang at the 2023 World Cup
India is currently hosting the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup this year after 12 years. The last time we hosted the event, the Indian cricket team emerged as winners and ended up giving Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar the perfect sendoff. Incidentally, the North Stand Gang was at the final when India lifted the trophy. This time around, the expectations are going to be no less. While many Indian fans are unhappy with the ticket fiasco, members of the North Stand Gang may have not got their tickets together but are representing the group that has managed to be cheer for India every time they play, in whatever capacity they can.

Some of them managed to get tickets for India's match against Australia in Chennai at the Chepauk Stadium last Sunday, others are hoping to witness India versus Pakistan in Ahmedabad but need a stroke of luck with the tickets. DeSouza, a Mulund-based chemical engineer says, "The ticketing process is in shambles and very shoddily done. It was easier to book tickets for the matches in 2011 because the tickets were released over a year in advance. We booked our tickets peacefully and planned our travel accordingly. We had a lot of fun at the stadium.

Joining the gang
Incidentally, it was only two years after the North Gang Stand had formed and there were only 20 of them as compared to over 90 fans now but it was still a party. "We all come from different walks of life - different age groups, professions, backgrounds. We are not from the same college, company, age group, but the only thing that we have in common is watching cricket from the North Stand and the passion for the game. Even during the 2011 World Cup, we were 20 odd and I felt that was big," shares DeSouza.

In the same year, Borivali-based Sagar Walve joined the gang, almost 10 years after he started watching matches at the Wankhede Stadium with the India - Australia test match in 2001 being the first. He shares, "When we got together, we got to know that ‘Tu bhi yeh match main tha, main bhi yeh match main tha' and it was nice. The North Stand Gang was more like an organised setup." Walve, who is a city-based doctor, and not loves watching cricket but also playing the sport, reveals that even in the medical fraternity they have a thriving league. Ever since then, he has not only been a part of the group but has also travelled with them to watch matches outside of Mumbai, with the recent one being the India - Australia match in 2019.

Over the years, they have come up with several chants for Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, and sing it after their retirement too; and more recently, they sing chants for Virat Kohli too. "Whenever we chant, the best part is our own cricketers reacting to us. Virat Kohli is one of the most reactive cricketers to chants and fans. He will respond to us and whenever he can't hear us, he will come to the boundary and say ‘Hey guys I can't hear you'," adds 38-year-old Walve, who faintly remembers the 1992 Cricket World Cup but it was the following one in 1996 that left a lasting impression on him as Sachin Tendulkar dominated world cricket, at a time when Australia and West Indies were on top.

Cricket on and off the field
At the time, their on-field presence translated into their online presence and that is when they started an Orkut group. Since the platform was fading out, Facebook and Twitter came in. Taking their cue, Shirke started a Twitter account but it wasn't really active and they did sporadic tweets about cricket but come 2016, things changed. "Before the December 2016 India vs England test match, I did a 100-day countdown to the match, and that got a lot of interest from supporters and even questions like ‘How to reach Wankhede?', ‘Which station do I get down?'," shares the Mumbaikar, who has been watching matches at the Wankhede Stadium since 1993. Patiently replying to all of them, he realised there were a lot more people following them, and that's when they decided to streamline their tweets.

The cherry on the cake was when the North Stand Gang met the people who inspired them at the test match later that year. Before the test match, DeSouza and Vipul Yadav, another ardent fan and member of the group, had written the text of how Brabourne and Wankhede were special for cricket in Mumbai and that was printed on T-Shirts to become the official T-Shirt of the group. Shirke shares, "We met the Barmy Army, who had come down to watch the match like they do, at the stadium. We presented the T-shirt to them as our token of appreciation. They then invited us to a party at a pub on Marine Drive. Each of the members gave us a flag and their songbook as well to sing with then the next time there is an India vs England match at the Wankhede." It was like a dream come true for the Mumbai group of fans, and since then they only streamlined their content on the social media platform.

Such has been their presence that three years later, Rushab Mahale was among the newest entrants of the North Stand Gang. Having connected with them on Twitter in 2019 before the ICC World Cup, it was only natural for the city cricketer who played for Sporting Clubs Committee in the Kanga Knockouts earlier this year, and has been playing cricket for more than 18 years now, to join the gang. "With social media, even when you are not playing the game, you are involved with the game. When I came across the North Stand Gang on Twitter (now X) I liked that they had tweets with trivia and emotional aspect and I instantly connected with it."

After joining them and even buying the T-shirt later on and connecting them on WhatsApp, he also joined them for a game in Pune, just like Walve did. He shares, "My first match with the North Stand Gang was India - South Africa match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. At that time, I attended it to see how the gang functions, but ever since then, every match at the Wankhede Stadium in the North Stand Level 3 called Dilip Vengsarkar Level 3 and Sachin Tendulkar Level 3 - if you look at the stand from any part of the stadium, you will see a white patch, and that is nothing but the North Gang wearing their T-shirts, and there are at least 30-35 of us there. We just enjoy ourselves and the Mexican wave starts from there," shares Mahale, ahead of his visit to Ahmedabad for the India - Pakistan match on October 16.

For Mahale, the group has been his connect with the game even beyond the field, where they not only meet to discuss cricket but also just socialise, and even if the larger group isn't able to meet, whoever can come together for a meal, does it when they can, while covering all facets of life, and that is his favourite part about the group.

Women of North Stand Gang
The best part about the North Stand Gang is that the group doesn't only have boys but also has girls and Walve found the perfect partner in Varada Dixit, former national-level badminton player, hailing from Nagpur and a huge sports enthusiast. "She has always had an atmosphere at home, which is conducive to sports, and she absolutely loves cricket, so there are no fights on what is playing on the TV," he laughs. Being a Kohli fan herself, every time she is with the gang, it is special. "Every time when the gang cheers and chants and Virat responds, it is just surreal. It's like he is talking to you," shares the 33-year-old.

Dixit has accompanied Walve to the matches since 2016, and has made the time to watch not only test matches, ODIs, T20s but also the IPL matches. So, it's no wonder that she shares his enthusiasm, "I have never felt out of place even for a second while watching matches with NSG. In fact, I get some extra privileges as well like the best seat in the house, food, drinks delivered to the seat too. But jokes apart, I enjoy the match more with Sagar and the boys than maybe with my girlfriends. The cheering, chants, running commentary, the Mexican waves initiated by NSG and just the energy in the stands makes the experience memorable."
Dixit isn't the only one busting the myth that women don't enjoy sports. Elsewhere, Sanika Sawant another Mumbaikar like Dixit, always joins the North Stand Gang to watch matches. Like Mahale, Sawant came across the Mumbai-based cricket fans group on Twitter in 2019. She says, "I checked their feed and followed them, and started interacting with the members regularly on social media. Our mutual love for cricket, but also ‘Mumbai cricket' made me join the gang. There are members who have been following cricket, and also watching it from the stands for decades now. To interact with them, and have discussions on the game is very interesting." In fact, the first experience with the North Stand Gang was the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy between Mumbai and Assam, followed by India's game against Australia, which we lost.

While the results may be that of wins and losses, it is always a win when she is with the gang. "The gang electrifies the whole atmosphere at the ground with the chants. Since then, I have witnessed domestic and international games with the gang, most recently the Women's Premier League (WPL) final." Interestingly, this is a stark difference for the Mumbai student, when she first thought of joining the group four years ago. The lack of female members made her a little skeptical but after a few interactions with the members, she decided to give it a try, and has certainly found her tribe, and with Dixit, she is among a handful of women who are a part of the group.

However, she has had her fair share of naysayers. She explains, "On social media, you sometimes come across people who say, ‘stick to watching soap operas' but in NSG, I have always felt that members respect my opinions as much as any other fan's. I am a part of the gang as much as anyone else is." It is also why she encourages other sports-loving women to join the gang and make many memories. One that Sawant has had the opportunity to make with them, the most memorable being meeting one of India's greats. "I got a chance to meet Sachin Tendulkar a few years back. I presented him with the NSG T-shirt on behalf of the gang. So, I have this picture of Sachin, me and the T-shirt, which is very special for me," she adds.

While meeting Tendulkar was a fan moment for Sawant, the group has been acknowledged by some of India's finest cricketers including VVS Laxman, Akash Chopra and even Mumbai boy Amol Muzumdar - the last of which is Shirke's favourite. He explains, "In 2019, when India played South Africa in Pune, Amol Muzumdar was the interim batting coach, and he DM'd us to give us two tickets, which he had got, as a token of appreciation to us for our love for the game." Since they had already booked their tickets, the gang asked if they could meet him for five minutes instead and that dream came true for many of them including Shirke, who has been a Muzumdar fan for as long as he can remember. The former Mumbai cricketer even signed the North Stand Gang T-Shirt making it one of the most memorable moments for the gang till date.

Even as more members join the gang, Shirke has a vision, "Our main intention with North Stand Gang going forward is that we want a culture where sitting in a stadium, watching a match with your friends and family becomes an event. It becomes an event when there is a group dynamic because an individual can't do much but if a group comes together to do their synchronised chanting and clapping at the opportune time and not randomly, then it becomes an event."

Here are some of the chants by the North Stand Gang if you want to join them next time:
Cricket ka king kaun? SACHIN SACIN!
Mumbai ka don kaun? SACHIN SACIN!
Kohli ke peeche kya hai? Kohli ke peeche
Jisne sabki kholi hai, vo hamara Kohli hai
Multan ka sultan kaun? VIRU VIRU!
India ka wall kaun? DRAVID DRAVID!
V-V-S V-V-S!
Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaachin Sachin! (Clap clap clap)