A cricket fan paints his head with the icon of the World Cup, and (below) children in Balangir with their face painted in the tricolour. Telegraph pictures

Balangir, Feb. 24: Cricket fans here are expressing their support and solidarity for the Indian team in unconventional ways.

Many have found inspiration in Bollywood heartthrob Aamir Khan and his film Ghajini, and fans are opting for unusual haircuts to express their support for the national team Indian cricket team.

Barbers are having a field day as more and more youths throng their salons to get tonsured in order to show their support.

In Balangir town now, there are at least 100 youngsters with their head tonsured and painted with messages and icons related to the world cup cricket.

Cricket fan Rohit Meher (18) said that it was important to gather support for Indian cricket team in whatever way one can.

“I am an ardent cricket fan and looking forward to India winning the cup. The Indian team has already started well by completely outplaying Bangladesh. Sehwag and Kohli have shown how dangerous they can be in a given day. Moreover, we have Sachin, Pathan, Dhoni and Yuvraj, who can give sleepless nights to the opponents,” said Meher, who has cut most of his hair in order to paint the world cup on his head.

Cricket fans have mostly painted their tonsured heads with the icons of the world cup, bats, balls, map of India and slogans in favour of India. Bikash Nanda, another cricket fan said that everyone should pray for India to win the cup and they deserve to win it.

“Ours is a very balanced team and our record in the last few years speaks volume for it. We have done exceptionally well in the past few months and are considered one of the favourites to win the cup. Dhoni as captain has really lifted the team’s spirit. What our team needs is support on and off the field. The act of getting tonsured to spread the massage of world cup will definitely generate support for Indian team,” he said.

Some others have been found with the tricolour painted on their faces.

Krushna Chandra Barik, owner of a salon, said that several youths come to him to get tonsured for the world cup.

“Some of them get tonsured completely and paint their head with world cup messages. Some others leave a thin layer of hair and draw the messages and icons there. They also pay handsomely. So it is good time for all barbers here,” Barik said.