The US ambassador to India loved the “electrifying atmosphere.â€
Uber basketball and baseball fan Ken Juster — who had previously posed for a photo with a cricket bat at the Wankhede Stadium pitch and played “pick-up†cricket with GOAT Sachin Tendulkar — finally had his first taste of Big League cricket. And he loved the experience.
The US ambassador to India was at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi on Friday night to watch the Indian Premier League match between hometown team Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings.
An excited Juster took to Twitter to share his maiden live cricketing experience and tweeted, “Great to be watching my first #IPL2018 match at the #FerozShahKotla stadium in #Delhi. What an electrifying atmosphere! Thank you @BCCI for your hospitality. All the best to both the teams!â€
What an exciting match! Congratulations @DelhiDaredevils on your impressive win! Well played @ChennaiIPL! I am #BowledOverByCricket like the rest of #India! #DDvCSK #DDSquad #DilDilli #WhistlePodu #Yellove @BCCI pic.twitter.com/FmhsuDtTOw
— U.S. Ambassador to India (@USAmbIndia) May 18, 2018
In another tweet, he wrote: “What an exciting match! Congratulations @DelhiDaredevils on your impressive win! Well played @ChennaiIPL! I am #BowledOverByCricket like the rest of #India! “
Great to be watching my first #IPL2018 match at the #FerozShahKotla stadium in #Delhi. What an electrifying atmosphere! Thank you @BCCI for your hospitality. All the best to both the teams! #DDvCSK #BowledOverByCricket #DDSquad #WhistlePodu #Yellove #DilDilli pic.twitter.com/38IfE4gfbQ
— U.S. Ambassador to India (@USAmbIndia) May 18, 2018
The ambassador, being a gracious guest, wore the Delhi Daredevils’ uniform.
Juster, a known sports enthusiast, revealed during a March meeting with NBA representatives of India, that he is a great fan of basketball and used to play the game during the childhood.
Even though Friday’s match at Kotla was his first live match experience, it was not first time the US envoy had been to a major cricket stadium in India.
In December, Juster visited the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. During the visit, he even went to the pitch with a bat to try a few strokes. He later posed for a photo with a few officials of the Mumbai Cricket Association, with a bat in his hand. The video of the same was uploaded on his official twitter handle.
“My deep interest in #India and international affairs is matched only by my love of sports. Visiting the #Wankhede Stadium in #Mumbai this past week was such a treat! Any batting tips for this #cricket enthusiast?†he captioned the video.
My deep interest in #India and international affairs is matched only by my love of sports. Visiting the #Wankhede Stadium in #Mumbai this past week was such a treat! Any batting tips for this #cricket enthusiast? #First100Days @MumbaiCricAssoc @BCCI pic.twitter.com/qtDXbSACea
— U.S. Ambassador to India (@USAmbIndia) December 10, 2017
Recently, on May 11, Juster played a few shots with Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar during a visit to Maharashtra. The diplomat thanked Tendulkar for his hospitality.
“Thank you for your wonderful hospitality @sachin_rt! Had a great time playing cricket with the Master Blaster during my recent visit to #AmchiMumbai. Sachin’s accomplishments inspire millions of cricket lovers worldwide, including me!†Juster tweeted.
Thank you for your wonderful hospitality @sachin_rt! Had a great time playing cricket with the Master Blaster during my recent visit to #AmchiMumbai. Sachin’s accomplishments inspire millions of cricket lovers worldwide, including me! #BowledOverByCricket #SportsDiplomacy pic.twitter.com/Ny37dVBUiX
— U.S. Ambassador to India (@USAmbIndia) May 11, 2018