India and Australia - cricket as a relational metaphor

Boria Majumdar
Posted: Sunday, Oct 05, 2008 at 2343 hrs IST
Updated: Sunday, Oct 05, 2008 at 2343 hrs IST

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: interest stimulated by the spectacular individual performances by the Indians in the Test series. Even bigger was India’s tour down under in December-January 2007-08. This tour affected the normal schedule of middle class urban households and created a severe problem for cricket-crazy children and teenagers since most of the annual school examinations ICSE and CBSE were round the corner. But for most teenagers, India’s performance “down-under” was an experience to cherish and most tried to become involved in the excitement by selectively viewing India’s matches.

The growing significance of Indo-Australian cricket has had a perceptible impact on tourism “down-under” as well. In the wake of India’s series in 2004, no less than 3,000 Indians arrived in Australia to cheer their team, a first for Indian sport.

In 2007-8, this figure increased further with the Indians under Dhoni winning the one-day series. With live television bringing the action to the comfort of Indian drawing rooms, Australia suddenly became an attractive tourist destination as well as a trading partner. Thus, it is no surprise to know that bilateral trade between India and Australia during the calendar year 2004-5 touched a record A$ 6.54 billion. This saw a sharp increase in the value of total trade of nearly 52% or A$ 2.23 billion over the corresponding figure of A$ 4.31 billion in 2003. These figures, one can confidently assert, will only increase during the current tour as well, which has already been billed in India as “The Fight of Their Lives”. With a growing history adding gloss to this rivalry, with time this label might well prove true....

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