A packed Sydney Cricket Floor roared as Australia’s wickets fell in quick succession.
Arriving at the venue on Saturday, cricket fan Rajesh Minun was looking forward to watching the summer contest between India and Australia come to a close.
He wanted to watch Indian stars like Jasprit Bumrah, considered the best fast bowler in the world, and also Australian batsmen Travis Head and Steve Smith.
And as the match swung between the two sides, he didn’t care who won.
“I am Australian, so I support both India and Australia,” he said.
Minun expected one thing above all: “A lot of entertainment.”
As Australia walked away from the SCG with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy the following day, commentators began to describe the historic nature of the series that had unfolded.
Among the talking points was the huge crowds that flocked to the summer matches – a total of around 830,000 people across the five Tests.
Indian fans contributed to the huge crowds that gathered at cricket grounds across Australia this summer. (AFP: Saeed Khan)
The Boxing Day event, especially, will go down in history not only for its thrilling fifth-day closing, but also for the 373,000 people who attended, surpassing a previous six-day attendance record of 350,534 set in Don Bradman’s era.
And a major factor that commentators have identified was the participation of fans from Australia’s Indian diaspora.
Cricket journalist Mike Coward, who has written extensively on India-Australia relations and their importance to the sport, said Australia’s Indian community had a huge impact on viewership numbers for this series.
“Their passion for cricket is notable and recognised, and they also have a wealth of knowledge of the game,” he said.
Fans also traveled from abroad to follow the Indian cricket team around Australia.
Aparna Shah and her husband Naimish had flown from New York to watch the Test matches in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
Aparna and Naimish Shah traveled from the United States to watch the Indian cricket team play Australia. (ABC News: Doug Dingwall)
They had recently flown to St. Lucia in the Caribbean to watch the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup.
But their trip to Australia was the longest they had traveled to watch their team.
“We follow the team wherever they go; “At least we tried,” he said.
Shah enjoyed the unpredictability of the series, partly as a result of the longer Test format, where the course of matches can change several times and players are under intense pressure.
“Anything could happen. “It keeps you guessing and wanting more,” he said.
“It also brings out the best in the players, how they spend the five days. It’s about the mindset.”
Fans and experts have identified several reasons behind the event’s impressive viewership numbers this summer.
One of them is the quality of the current cricket rivalry between India and Australia: a showdown between two teams featuring great veteran figures and some promising new talents.
Indian fans celebrated when Australian youngster Sam Konstas walked off the field following a dismissal in the Sydney Test match. (AFP: Saeed Khan)
Other observers, such as ABC commentator Harsha Bhogle, also acknowledged the love for the sport in Australia, as well as the size of the Indian diaspora in Australia.
“I watch cricket all over the world and I don’t see this kind of support for Test cricket anywhere,” he said.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, about 850,000 people, or 3 percent of Australia’s population, were born in India.
Western Sydney-based cricket fan Kapil Dev Yadav said viewership numbers were a result of the sport’s popularity at grassroots level, including among girls, and efforts by cricket authorities to increase its fan base. followers.
Cricket fans Kapil Dev Yadav, Vikas Chahal and Jai Dev Thakur at the Sydney Cricket Floor on Saturday. (ABC News: Doug Dingwall)
“Regardless of that, Indians are cricket fans, they always like to come and watch good competition… (and) Australia is a sporting nation,” he said.
Coward said the popularity of the Take a look at series this year also reflected other changes in the sport.
While stories in Australia about Test matches against India were once dominated by the difficulties of traveling across the subcontinent, attitudes have changed in recent years.
Steve Waugh led Australia during a famous Test series in India during 2001. (AFP: Desha-Kalyan Chowdhury)
Australian cricket captains of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, including Allan Border, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh, had “demystified” cricket in India, changing opinions within the Australian playing community, Coward said.
“Over time, that spread to the spectator community and now, of course, cricketers embrace the region,” he said.
“And, of course, many of them earn very well playing in the region.”
The biggest rivals?
Cricket fans, commentators and players will be analyzing the latest collection of Tests for years.
And a point of debate in the coming months will be whether the rivalry between Australia and India is now the biggest in sport, surpassing the Ashes.
And although tension occasionally flared on the field, including a shoulder bump midfield between Indian veteran Virat Kohli and Australian youngster Sam Konstas in Melbourne, Coward said the series as a whole was played in a “fantastic spirit.” ”.
“There is now no doubt that India is a combative side,” he said.
“He is intensely competitive and has learned many of the techniques, as the Sri Lankans did, playing consistently against Australia.
“You have to know where to draw the line, but they are a better, more combative and competitive team as a result of playing tougher and more competitive cricket.
“They are a magnificent cricket team.”
Speaking outside the SCG, Yadav said the players seemed to have left any mid-match resentment on the field.
“If you don’t have those kinds of moments, you probably won’t have that kind of competitiveness on the field,” he said.
“At the end of the day, the guys are bonding, both teams are still shaking hands.”
