A stroll through the Kingsmead ground here indicates the authority stamped by the Indian community on both the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union and the Natal Cricket Board (NCB)
A stroll through the Kingsmead ground here indicates the authority stamped by the Indian community on both the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union and the Natal Cricket Board (NCB). Since 1962, almost every president of NCB has been of Indian descent.
Indians run more than 60 per cent of schools and academies in Durban. It is because of these demographics that Indians get into power when clubs go into elections.
Jay Naidoo, a third generation South African Indian who once managed the Nashua Dolphins, is now Manager of Playing Affairs of the Cricket Union. "I scout talent, take care of schools and clubs in the province. My job is to run all cricket affairs," said Naidoo.
"It is a natural thing to happen, as Durban has the biggest Indian population outside India. It is a cultural thing. Most of our forefathers have come from India," he added.
However, in the beginning, it wasn't all that rosy for the Indians to get into administration. Naidoo conceded: "There were lot of battles to get into power. Initially, there was no trust. We came from two different backgrounds, belonged to different cricket boards. It was an 'us and them' sort of situation. The white administrators did not trust us.
"We (Indians) played cricket on our own. The Natal Cricket Board took care of us, and the Union supported the white people. We eventually unified in 1992 and even after that, the Indian community looked at cricket as a pastime," said Naidoo. There were many Indians playing cricket in Durban in the 1970s and 1980s, but played at an amateur level. As years went by, the focus of Indian parents was to get education. Nobody thought of sports as a career. But that was until Hashim Amla 'happened' to the Indian community.u00a0 "Amla is the role model of every Indian here. Everybody wants to be like him. Ten or 15 years ago, no Indian dreamt of playing for SA Africa. Initially, everyone thought he came through the transformation policy, but now he's one of the best No 3 batsman in the world," he said.
