Cricket World Cup brings South African fan back to Indian roots | Cricket-world-cup News

Swiftly upon landing in the Indian capital, Natalie Nel would be questioned the lady at the immigration counter whether she really was a South African? The Cape Town local draws a facepalm while sitting at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, as her husband Seton narrates the incident to this newspaper.
“She kept looking at her ID. ‘South African? No, you must be Indian’,” he says before Natalie finally breaks from a laugh to reveal that the customs lady may not have been completely wrong.
It’s a first-ever Cricket World Cup experience that’s brought the 41-year-old to a maiden visit to the homeland of her great-grandfather.
“My maternal great-grandfather was from Surat,” she shares. “Unfortunately, I never got to meet him or my grandfather. They came to South Africa and somewhere along the line they were castified with apartheid. They were classified as white to not Indian. So, we grew up never really knowing about it. I was only told about it some 20 years ago. A cousin of mine did a lot of research into exactly where we come from.”
One has to take a moment to breathe it all in, even more so after Seton adds that the two could just as easily have been in France at this point of time. “Well, she gave me the option. Do I want to go to the Cricket World Cup or Rug? It was quite obvious that we would want to come here. It’s a well known fact that the Indians are the most extreme, passionate cricket supporters.”
Not too later in the conversation, the passion is audible at the HPCA Stadium on the sight of the covers being taken off. “That’s what we want,” remarks Setan. It’s a sentiment that would be common for some 10,000 more present in the stands, eagerly waiting for the start of the South Africa-Netherlands which has been delayed owing to continuous showers since the morning.
For Natalie, who concedes not being a big rug or cricket fan, the visit provides a much bigger closure. “I never knew where I actually came from. I always thought it was from my dad’s side – Spanish or Portuguese. It’s been really surreal exploring my roots here.”
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It’s a trip that’s cost the Nels roughly half a million INR, one that also has the next South Africa game against England in Mumbai on the itinerary other than tours to Delhi, Jaipur and Agra.
“We haven’t really kept a check of how much we’ve been spending,” Natalie concedes before her husband interjects, “A lot more than what the budget was for, because Natalie loves to shop. You might not have the best cricket team but you definitely have the best salesperson.”
Speaking of best, what about the cricket scenery on offer? For the two Cape Town locals, where does the Dharamsala cricket stadium stand in the l of the most picturesque venues in the sport?
“We don’t get snow on our mountain. That’s maybe a point or two in their favor,” Seton weighs in. But they’re both beautiful and have unique factors. I feel I’ve been lucky to be at this venue and at Newlands.” Most Read
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The conversation then veers into who has been the best team at the tournament so far, and why it’s South Africa? Setan reminisces the scars of the past but hopes his first Cricket World Cup visit can be the lucky charm for the Proteas, “We came here not anticipating being one of the favorites. But the two performances so far…I think we have a really good chance of going all the way.”
As we close in on the conversation, the sun has started beating down on the stadium for the first time since the morning. The match will finally begin after two hours of waiting. With his wife seated his corner, a thought takes over Setan. “What if it’s a South Africa-India final? Wouldn’t it be just wow?”
Who’ll Natalie support in her family der? She takes a while before choosing, “South Africa.” Much to the delight of her partner, who pumps his f upon hearing the same. “Just to keep the peace. Sports is not really my thing. I’ll watch if there’s a big rug match and we have the friends over or we are watching the cricket socially with friends. But my life doesn’t revolve around the sport that much,” says Natalie, who admits being content with the bigger takeaway from her current trip.