IMRAN GASHKORI | Sports Journalist | CONTACT
26 December, 2014. 10:55
As some of the most passionate cricket fans in the world, this summer series has brought about noticeable frustrations for the Australian-based Indian cricket fans, a community that also makes up a large majority of Australian cab drivers.
With their team down two-nil down halfway through a four-Test series, the Indian-born Australian cab drivers simply refuse to talk about the cricket.
Anjay, an Indian cab driver based in Adelaide, has spoken to The Betoota Advocate:
“It’s not like we aren’t keeping up with it, we love the game… It’s just very hard for us to comment on it when most of our passengers are drunk Australians who just want to rip on us for coming from a country that is shit at cricket”
The Australian Bureau of statistics revealed in 2013 that the most popular country of birth of automobile drivers – made up of cabbies and chauffeurs – is set to become India in the next year.
To non-Indian Australian passengers, this means they have the opportunity to engage in fierce cricketing debate just about every time they catch a cab – However, the drivers are as keen on the idea of long-winded arguments with intoxicated punters over the politics of International Cricket.
“Some of these poor drivers are so sick of it that they have been pretending they are Pakistani, or even worse, pretending they don’t watch cricket. Drunk Australians are hard work… especially when their team is winning”
Anjay says while the community is absolutely thrilled to be settling in a country that also shares a keen love for cricket, they are having a hard time in their transition as Indian cricket fans. They are also very embarrassed by their home nation.
“I mean surely you can understand, Shane Watson has retained his position as number three in the Australian side… and we are still getting skinned. There is a lot of shame in that.”
