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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->A 'foreign' view of Indian cricket
Bangalore | November 19, 2005 10:15:05 PM IST
For a group of six foreigners, including three from Britain, it was a perfect day out to experience firsthand a cricket match in the subcontinent when India took on South Africa here Saturday.
Dressed in Team India colours, with headbands that boldly declared "I cheer for India" and also sporting the Indian tricolour on their faces with face paint, the IT techies working here were enthralled by their experience.
"It is such a unique experience to come and soak in India's colourful culture in a sporting encounter. I have been to baseball games in the (United) States, but this is something completely different," San Francisco's Derek Gotko told IANS.
"The noise, the enthusiasm, the friendly faces, the atmosphere, it all adds to the occasion and may be I'd tell my friends back home and here to get a taste of this," he added.
Swede Jesper Tuner, who hails from Malmo and who just got to Bangalore a couple of weeks back, cannot get over the experience.
"I'm having a blast here and everything is so new and alien but in such a fun way. I just got to India not too long back and this has added to what I've experienced here," Tuner said.
"I had no idea that this game was so huge here. It compares with the popularity of football back in Europe," he observed.
For John Fidoe, who came from London, this is not the first time at a cricket match, but surely the first experience of it outside the traditional home of the game.
"I have been to a couple of Tests before in Leeds and London and needless to say they were completely different experiences. It is a different culture and a different atmosphere," Fidoe said.
"May be there is a reason why cricket has moved on beyond its traditional confines. You would not find such enthusiasm for the game in the UK. The way people enjoy it here is so gung-ho," he added.
His previous experiences and knowledge of the game give him another added responsibility.
"These guys chew my brains about the nuances of the game and I'm the official interpreter. I'm not complaining though, its fun to introduce them to cricket," he said.
Anna Stolk, who belongs to the stronghold of English football - Manchester - home to the Manchester United football club, is pleased to be here.
"I've been to football games involving Manchester United but I'm glad I came here. It just adds to the appeal of India and is a great eye-opener on its culture. This is also more fun as it lasts the whole day and it is like a picnic," Anna said.
"May be we should have more matches here so that more people can enjoy a game. It is so different from what we usually do on the weekends," said Olan Kenneally, who is from Cork in Ireland.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->