“India ... India ... India ... India ... India ... India ...”
It is a chant which will be heard over and over again in the coming months as Australia and India resume their rivalry in test cricket.
But members of Australia's Indian community admit they will be torn between their loyalties.
Sangeeta Rodrigues was born in India and now calls Australia home.
She says cricket has always connected the two nations. “When our kids are born here, it is like we are having two teams at home. But it's like a good rivalry at home. Like, you know, the kids are from Australia, we are from India, so it's a nice atmosphere. And India and Australia, it's always ... cricket is in their blood. So it's very beautiful when we go for the matches. Yeah, it's nice, very nice. Cricket keeps us united always,” says she.
Like thousands of Indian migrants, Sangeeta Rodrigues's son plays junior cricket.
A team of boys with Indian heritage, he and his teammates say they plan on supporting India throughout the summer series.
One of the boys, Avanesh Sri Ganeshwaran, explains. “I'm born Australian, but my mum and dad are Indian, so I'm supporting India for this ocassion because ... why not? And India's going to win, because they've got the best players,” says he.
One of the world's best players captains India.
Virat Kohli will go down as one of the nation's greatest players ever.
Avanesh Sri Ganeshwaran's teammate, Nrtharshan Raveendran, says Kohli is an inspiration to Indians around the world. “He inspires me to play cricket and how to, like, drive the ball and stuff. And, yeah, he's kind of like my hero,” he said.
The boys' coach, Vipin Mathews, says living in Australia could offer young players the best chance to follow in their heroes' footsteps. “It is so fulfilling to see that these kids are actually using their energies for a very constructive purpose like sport, and particularly cricket, and grow from there as sportsmen as well as individuals. And I think Australia as a community and as a society, due to its infrastructure, due to its already-built systems, is actually working very well for not only (native) Australian kids but also for the immigrant population like the Indians, who were already into sport. But they are probably training, you know, a little bit better than they probably would be in a worse country like India, right? So, you know, coming to Sydney, with all these facilities available, they are able to make use of it in a positive way,” said Mr Matthews.
Australia's Indian community is growing rapidly, and cricket is helping many settle into their new environment.
Arun Chauhan plays for India in the Thunder Nation Cup, a competition that brings migrant communities together across Sydney. “Cricket is, like, something (where) you can make friends really quick. So, if you get to know a lot of people through cricket, it's easy to get a start, and then it's easy to play cricket further with them,” Mr Chauhan says.
Gurpreet Singh also plays for India in the Thunder Nation Cup.
He says the sport has helped him make friends after moving to Australia -- and not just in the Indian community. “I made other friends from other communities there, a few friends from Pakistan, a few were in the Nepal team. So it was, like, good. And, like, we interact with each other, we meet each other, and (it's,) like, awesome,: says Mr Singh.
India and Australia are playing each other in a four-test series, with matches to be held in Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
