- The tight match was full of controversy on the field.
- Some fans leveled cheating accusations at Australians
With Indian fans accusing the home team of cheating and Australian fans launching chants accusing one of the tourists’ biggest stars of being a ‘w**ker’, you could be forgiven for thinking the Boxing Day test was full of cultural shocks. but a new video shows that that is far from the truth.
Cricket fans have reacted with joy to a clip showing Australian spectators at the MCG wearing turbans, with many hailing it as a welcome antidote to focusing on the harsher aspects of the cricket rivalry between the two countries.
The clip, which was posted on TikTok after Australia’s Test victory, shows a group of Australian fans enjoying a few drinks while wearing pink turbans.
However, they do not wear the helmet in a misguided attempt to mock the opposition spectators.
The beginning of the video shows another fan having his turban fixed in a tent outside the MCG as part of an initiative by a charity group.
Turbans 4 Australia has been helping Australians in need since 2015, notably working tirelessly to cook and deliver thousands of meals to bushfire and flood victims in recent years.
Pictured: One of many Australian fans who took advantage of an initiative by a Sikh charity group who volunteered to tie turbans for spectators at the MCG’s Boxing Day Test.
A video showing Australian fans wearing the helmet at the match (pictured) has received praise for showing a softer side of cricket’s rivalry with India.
The Turbans 4 Australia group behind the initiative has been helping Australians in need since the organization was founded in 2015.
The organization has also come to the aid of the homeless and those suffering the effects of domestic violence, with the goal of promoting multiculturalism and religious tolerance.
Sikhs take their name from the term “disciple” or “student” and wear turbans as part of their faith.
Cricket Australia promoted the Turbans 4 Australia tent on social media ahead of the Test and it seems many fans took up the offer.
The action on the field was at times wildly controversial, with Australian fans chanting about Virat Kohli after he shoulder-hit Sam Konstas, and their Indian counterparts branding Pat Cummins and his men as cheaters after the referee video will expose Yashasvi Jaiswal. .
But viewers of the video praised the way it showed a kinder, gentler side to how the two cultures came together at the MCG.
The clip read: “While the media fuels the rivalry, here’s what’s really happening outside the MCG – Australians enjoying Indian food, music and vibes.”
Commenters on the video were impressed by his positive view of the mix of cultures.
In controversial moments on the field during the Test, Australian and Indian fans clashed affably as Pat Cummins’ men won a classic match.
Those sentiments were echoed in the comments section.
“There is finally something beautiful to see between both cultures,” wrote one.
‘In fact, I love it so much it’s really beautiful. I hate cricket but I can support this,” another added.
“It’s like Australia and New Zealand in all sports: we may hate them during the game, but we root for them any other day of the week,” wrote a third.
‘Beautiful. “This is how the world should be,” another commented.
Those same fans would have been heartened by the scenes involving the Indian and Australian teams when they gathered at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Sydney residence, Kirribilli House, on New Year’s Day.
While their on-field rivalry has been intense, both sides were seen mingling happily on the shores of the harbor as they played a light-hearted game of cricket.
Even the clash between Kohli and Konstas was forgotten as the former Indian captain happily posed for photos with the 19-year-old’s brothers, who were also able to take a photo with the world’s best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah.