No doubt, Cricket is a gentlemen’s game. In India, people treat the sport as a religion and also has the largest fan base in the cricketing world. Indian cricket fans are the best in the world. Not only in India, the Indian cricketers have a huge following in abroad. We now and then see people taking autographs, selfies and cheering team India when they are playing in other nations.
One positive thing about Team India when they play on foreign soil is that one doesn’t have to worry about excessive security. One can roam about freely, as long as he or she doesn’t step onto the field of play. Thus, they see numerous interactions with the ground staffs, the security personnel, and the team bus drivers.
Now, team India is in the news for a good reason. After clinching the T20I series against South Africa in Cape Town, the Indian cricket team donated R1,00,000 to the Cape Town Water Crisis Fund. In fact, it was not just the Indian team that donated for the noble cause, but also the South African team.
Cape Town, South Africa – a city that is home to more than 4 million people – is close to running out of the water after three years of a persistent drought. “Day Zero,” or the day when the city will be forced to turn off most of its taps, was originally set for April but the date has been pushed to July.
Farmers have been forced to look for alternatives and it’s only thanks to the spirit of community in the area that the situation is not all too dire as they have been able to lend one another water when need be. However, there is a greater concern as the quality of water that is still available continues to deteriorate, prompting fears of disease.
The people in Cape Town woke up to the Level 6 Water restrictions on January 1 this year and this means that every person can use a maximum 87 liters of water per day. Households which use more than 10,500 liters of water a month will have water management devices fit. Such has been the scenario that hotels have asked guests not to take shower for more than 2 minutes and asked guests from keeping the tap open when they are brushing or shaving.
Having humble nature and showing respect to the rainbow nation, the Indian team gave the cheque to the officials and the donated money will be used to drill boreholes as well as to supply bottled water to organizations in need.
According to CSA release, Faf du Plessis said, “Both teams had the first-hand experience of the Water Crisis in Cape Town and, having chatted to Virat, we decided to get our teams to sign some jerseys which we auctioned off with the funds raised going to assist the Cape Town Water Crisis. We also wanted to create awareness and hope that other organizations and sports codes follow in our direction.”
Indian skipper Virat Kohli addressed the need to get involved with this campaign. “Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and whenever we visit and play at Newlands, we are treated extremely well by the local people. By creating awareness of the drought, we are playing our part in highlighting the drought so people can see the seriousness of what’s taking place in the Mother City,” commented Kohli.
India coach Ravi Shastri, before leaving the Rainbow Nation had wished that the water crisis in the city ends soon. He had tweeted, “Time to leave beautiful Capetown and the Majestic Table Mountain. God bless you with the water. Soon coming.”
Time to leave beautiful Capetown and the Majestic Table Mountain. God bless you with the water. Soon coming. pic.twitter.com/P6JQDXsSXV
— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) February 25, 2018