'During any tours to any foreign country, we play and try to entertain the crowd. And we always feel that we are playing at home.'
India's stand-in head coach V V S Laxman said his side has been playing 'fearless' cricket in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, and the approach, for him, was the primary reason behind the wholehearted support the visitors receive anywhere across the globe.
India are leading the four-match T20I series 2-1 and the final match will be played at the Wanderers in Johannesburg later on Friday.
"What we have seen in these three matches is the fearless approach of this team," Laxman said during a reception hosted for the Indian team on Thursday night.
Laxman said the entertaining the fans is an important part of the game along with winning the matches.
"During any tours to any foreign country, we play and try to entertain the crowd. And we always feel that we are playing at home.
"The reason for that is all the wonderful fans of the Indian cricket team, the diaspora of India who settled down in various countries but still love the Indian team and the Indian cricketers," he added.
"I don't know if the support was for the home team or for our team (in South Africa). There was a lot more blue in the crowd than actually green," Laxman said.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav said it is always nice to meet Indian community during a hectic tour.
"It's always good to meet the Indian community when we come away from home. It makes us feel like we are at home.
"It's always good to have such a lovely evening in between a tournament and in between a bilateral series to really have some fun," said Suryakumar.
Indian Consul General Mahesh Kumar said cricket relations between India and South Africa, more than a century old, can serve as a model for the broader relations between the two countries.
"In 1921, a 17-member team, mostly Indian-origin people, went to India for a four-month tour. At that time, cricket and soccer were mixed. They played both the genres. So, we have a 100-plus years of cricket history. There was an interruption during the apartheid years in South Africa.
"But now, it is inclusive -- free from racial and religious divides. It has massive people's participation and it also encases our shared ambitions," Kumar said.
Chairman of Cricket South Africa Pearl Maphoshe made a plea for the Indian squad to return to South Africa in 2025.
"We cannot have enough of Indian teams in South Africa. We really love you. Someone said cricket in India is not a sport but a way of life.
"I want to assure you that cricket in South Africa is becoming a religion, so please come back next year so that we can do this together," Maposhe said.
Thanking the team for taking the time out ahead of the final game, High Commissioner Prabhat Kumar said it was a dream of people to meet the players personally.
"India was the first country where South Africa toured after the abolition of apartheid in 1991. So, we have deep relations. I recall that in 20009 IPL was hosted by South Africa when we couldn't host it (due to the general elections in India)," Kumar said.
