Is your family divided on supporting Australian-Indian cricket tests?

Indian Australian Cricket supporter

A young Indian-Australian cricket fan. Source: Supplied

It is a case of divided loyalties for many Indian migrants in Australia as India and Australia compete in a four-test cricket series covering Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The two countries share a common love for cricket, and the sport has played a significant role in helping the Indian migrants settle into their new lives.


"India ... India ... India ... India ... India ... India ..."  

It is a chant which will be heard over and over again in the coming months as Australia and India resume their rivalry in test cricket.

But members of Australia's Indian community admit they will be torn between their loyalties.

Sangeeta Rodrigues was born in India and now calls Australia home.

She says cricket has always connected the two nations.

"When our kids are born here, it is like we are having two teams at home. But it's like a good rivalry at home. Like, you know, the kids are from Australia, we are from India, so it's a nice atmosphere. And India and Australia, it's always ... cricket is in their blood. So it's very beautiful when we go for the matches. Yeah, it's nice, very nice. Cricket keeps us united always."
Indian Australian Cricket supporter march
Source: Supplied
Like thousands of Indian migrants, Sangeeta Rodrigues's son plays junior cricket.

A team of boys with Indian heritage, he and his teammates say they plan on supporting India throughout the summer series.

One of the boys, Avanesh Sri Ganeshwaran, explains.

"I'm born Australian, but my mum and dad are Indian, so I'm supporting India for this location because ... why not? And India's going to win, because they've got the best players."

One of the world's best players captains India.

Virat Kohli will go down as one of the nation's greatest players ever.

Avanesh Sri Ganeshwaran's teammate, Nrtharshan Raveendran, says Kohli is an inspiration to Indians around the world.

"He inspires me to play cricket and how to, like, drive the ball and stuff. And, yeah, he's kind of like my hero."
Indian Australian Cricket supporter
Source: Supplied
Kapil Thakkar is Cricket Australia’s multicultural ambassador. He says living in Australia could offer young players the best chance to follow in their heroes' footsteps.

Kapil told SBS Hindi, “A lot of Australian youngsters follow Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and other Indian cricketer and same ways Indians follow Australian cricketers.”

"It is so fulfilling to see that kids are actually using their energies for a very constructive purpose like sport, and particularly cricket, and grow from there as sportsmen as well as individuals. And I think Australia as a community and as a society, due to its infrastructure, due to its already-built systems, is actually working very well for not only (native) Australian kids but also for the immigrant population like the Indians, who were already into sport."
Indian cricket team supporters at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Indian cricket team supporters at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Source: SBS Gujarati
Australia's Indian community is growing rapidly, and cricket is helping many settle into their new environment.

Gagan Sethi is team manager for India in the Melbourne Renegades South Asia league, a competition that brings migrant communities together across Melbourne.

"Cricket is, like, something (where) you can make friends really quick. So, if you get to know a lot of people through cricket, it's easy to get a start, and then it's easy to play cricket further with them."

Gagan Sethi also plays for his local cricket club.

He says the sport has helped him make friends after moving to Australia -- and not just in the Indian community.

"I made other friends from other communities there, a few friends from Pakistan, a few were in the Nepal team. So it was, like, good. And, like, we interact with each other, we meet each other, and it's, like, awesome."

India and Australia are playing each other in a four-test series, with matches to be held in Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.


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