While they have mauled the New Zealand cricket team on the pitch, Team India have won many Kiwi hearts with their immaculate behaviour off it
While they have mauled the New Zealand cricket team on the pitch, Team India have won many Kiwi hearts with their immaculate behaviour off it
The rockstars of cricket started slowly on the field, but have now started playing some real hard metal...casting serious doubts on the credibility of the New Zealand attack that helped them level an ODI series in Australia just before India arrived.
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Whale of a time: Senior India pro Sachin Tendulkar is having a blast in New Zealand. With his brilliant performances he has not only helped India take control on the tour, but has also proved to be a great ambassador of the sport. pic/AFP |
But on the field, they have been playing the soft, mushy types too, winning hearts, especially those of Indian expats.
Small gesture but...One of the fans, who followed the Indian team from their hotel to the ground, requested Sachin Tendulkar for an autograph on his biceps. Why on the biceps, Tendulkar asked. He told Tendulkar he wanted it tattooed on his arm. That was when India were in Wellington for the second Twenty20. During the next week, when India came for the ODI, Tendulkar picked that fan in the crowd, and asked him if he had indeed got it tattooed. He had. And then the three posed for a photo: Tendulkar, the fan, and the autograph. Now it cannot be possible to remember each and every fan's face, but Tendulkar did. This was a small gesture, but one that won the fan over, and will stay with him for his life.
Roaming about freely and having luxury of dropping their guard in peaceful New Zealand, has in fact helped the team immensely. Looking for Indian food in New Zealand, some of the players happened to meet a man who showed them through to one restaurant. He was rewarded with a meal with some of his heroes.
The New Zealanders are not behind: the Prime Minister John Key had a charming conversation with the Indian captain MS Dhoni during a dinner arranged for the team.
"For most of us, it is our first trip to New Zealand. In the last ten days we have found that whatever we heard about New Zealand, is true. It's a beautiful country and has wonderful people and of course, tough cricket," Dhoni said.
Another reason why the New Zealand public has so taken to the Indian team is that they have behaved immaculately on the field. They have attacked with the bat, but haven't been overtly aggressive with their body language on the field. They look totally different to the team that usually plays Australia, and usually gets into ugly incidents.
Rockstars
Their behaviour on the field prompted one of the All Blacks, Brad Thorne, to say, "The things about the Indian team that I enjoy is that they aren't arrogant. They are a very strong side. There are some team that play well, but are arrogant. Not India." Looks like New Zealand is loving the music the rockstars are playing.
