The brand of cricket that we have been playing is pretty fearless" was the observation of VVS Laxman, India's stand-in head coach as his side continued to play fearless brand of cricket in their ongoing T20I series against South Africa, an attribute he credits with reasons for the incredible amount of support fans give them all over the world. India leads the four-match series 2-1, with the final game to be played at the Wanderers later today.
Indian squad was also praised for its approach by Laxman, who said at a reception on Thursday night, "What we have seen in these three matches is the fearless approach of this team he said during a reception for the Indian squad on Thursday night. He underlined that entertaining fans is as important as winning matches.
"During any tours to any foreign country, we play and try to entertain the crowd. And we always feel that we are playing at home. The reason for that is all the wonderful fans of the Indian cricket team – the Diaspora of India who settled down in various countries but still love the Indian team and the Indian cricketers," Laxman added.
Laxman said commenting on the crowd support in South Africa: "I don't know if the support was for the home team or for our team (in SA). There was a lot more blue in the crowd than actually green."
It is always lovely to meet the Indian community whenever we are away from home. It makes us feel like being at home. It is always wonderful to have such a pretty evening in between a tournament and in between a bilateral series and actually have some fun, as says the captain, Suryakumar Yadav.
Reflecting on India's cricketing connections with South Africa, the Consul General of India, Mahesh Kumar, said: "In 1921, a 17-member team, mostly Indian-origin people, went to India for a four-month tour. At that time, cricket and soccer were mixed. They played both the genres. So, we have a 100-plus years of cricket history. There was an interruption during the apartheid years in South Africa.". But now, it is an all-inclusive endeavour, free from racial and religious divides. It has massive people's participation and it also encases our shared ambitions.
Cricket South Africa Chairman Pearl Maphoshe made the plea for India to come back in 2025 when he said, "We cannot have enough of Indian teams in South Africa. We really love you. Someone said cricket in India is not a sport but a way of life. I want to assure you that cricket in South Africa is becoming a religion, so please come back next year so that we can do this together."
High Commissioner Prabhat Kumar thanked the Indian team for taking time out before the final game. "It's a dream of people to meet the players personally. India was the first country where South Africa toured after the abolition of apartheid in 1991. So, we have deep relations. I recall that in 2009 IPL was hosted by South Africa when we couldn't host it (due to the general elections in India).
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