Indian team has reached England to take part in the World Cup, which begins on May 14. A large crowd of Indians in Leicester welcomed the cricket team with signs in Hindi, Gujarati and Punjabi.

A third of Leicester’s population of about 275,000 is Indian. No other city in the West has such a large percentage of Indians. Leicester has street names such as Asha Marg, Madras Road, Kashmir Road, Malabar Road and others such.

The arrival of the Indian team has brought considerable excitement to the Indian community in Leicester, mostly Gujaratis. Schoolchildren and university students have already begun their autograph hunting at the Leicester county club where the Indian team has begun practice.

Small showers and cool spells greeted Indian team on the first day of the team’s stay at Leicester. Captain Mohammed Azharuddin has said that getting used to weather conditions will be a strong part of preparation for the World Cup.

India will play a match with Leicester on May 7. Leicester County will also take on world champions Sri Lanka. India are also due to play one of their World Cup matches in Leicester itself, against Zimbabwe on May 19. A grand reception is being organized for the team the same evening.

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