I will be the first to admit that I know and care very little about cricket. However, these past few days, being an Australian living in Delhi, I have been unable to avoid the cricket controversy from the Sydney Test match that dominated the headlines for over a week. During the controversy India’s major newspapers were full of articles that read more like passionate opinion pieces, emotional outpourings, or manifestoes on sportsmanship rather than the neutral and objective reports that the Indian media is renowned for. The Indian cricket team, described as ‘beleaguered’ and seeking ‘justice’ were pitted against the ‘Aussies’ who were ‘unrepentant’ bullies. The coverage afforded to this controversy in the Indian media appeared to be on par with the attention usually given to major political events. But surely not all Indians are this passionate about cricket.I recall my travels in India four years ago, when a match between India and Pakistan was being played. For hours the business in Paharganj stopped and the stillness was surreal. Then came the victory — ecstatic screams echoed through Delhi’s streets. But perhaps this was just an India-Pakistan thing, the cricket factor being secondary. Wrong. During this past week I discussed the issue with an Indian friend. She admitted that she is not an avid cricket fan, but what followed was a series of expletives interspersed with the words ‘Australian cricket team’ and ‘Ricky Ponting’. However, my temporarily enraged friend stressed that she meant the ‘Australian cricket team,’ not ‘Australians’ — somehow I did not feel convinced. We continued to spar. Had Harbhajan Singh really called Andrew Symonds a monkey? “So what if he did? ‘Monkey’ is not offensive in our language. It means silly,” she said. What began as a debate about cricket ended up as a clash of cultural lexicons. Oddly, during the controversy I found myself acting like the Australian cricket team’s representative — the role that my Indian friends had been subtly ascribing to me.As a foreigner it is exciting seeing this electric and passionate energy that animates a mere game. A similar energy that appears to thread this diverse nation together during large festivals, public protests, and other mass events. But without a doubt, it was difficult being an Aussie in India these last few days.
