Fans in Mohali to cheer SA,Dutch cricket teams

At the Van Der Merwe residence in Chandigarh,as the young Ivan starts speaking,his father Stephan is quick to make him talk in Afrikaans the South African language.

At the Van Der Merwe residence in Chandigarh,as the young Ivan starts speaking,his father Stephan is quick to make him talk in Afrikaans the South African language. Some sectors away,Dennis Van Erp and Gabriela Van Der Linden are busy preparing their Oranje clothes for the Netherlands-South Africa clash at the PCA Stadium on Thursday. With a lukewarm response from locals,it would be the presence of fans like Merwe and Erp currently working in Chandigarh which will surely boost the morale of both the teams on Thursday.

Even though I will be working on Thursday,we have made arrangements at our home to watch the match. We have been living in Chandigarh for the last four years and my daughters Nadia and Anandi often watch cricket on TV. We also watched the FIFA World Cup in South Africa when we went there for a vacation. A world cup is the most prestigious tournament,no matter which sport, said Merwe,who works as a technical manager in Compu Concepts Technologies.

Like Merwe,Dutchman Dennis Van Erp has been in the city for sometime now for his internship. He will also watch the match on Thursday from the stands in the stadium. The 23-year-old man,who has been working with Woodsbury Kindergarten School and Banyan Tree School,is proud to declare himself a fan of Sachin Tendulkar and Netherlands batsman Ryan ten Doeschate.

In Holland,not many people follow cricket. But thanks to our teams win over England in the Twenty-20 World Cup,people have started liking cricket. Players like Ryan and skipper Peter Borren have been performing well. I have never been to a stadium in India and I am excited about Thursdays match, said Erp,a resident of Gemert in Netherlands.

Gabriela Van Der Linden (23) learnt how to play cricket in her school in Netherlands and has been an ardent fan of the game ever since. We put up a great performance against England. It was a combined team effort and we cheered a lot. The team is slowing gaining experience. Players like Tim Copper and Borren are doing well and our spinners are bowling well, said Gabriella,who works with Miracle Studios.

Players enjoy Punjabi food,music

Straight after the Netherlands practice session,Dutchmen Adeel Raza and Mohammed Bukhari headed towards the players lounge to have Punjabi food. The Pakistan-born cricketers who have been a part of the Netherlands cricket team are Punjabis and their love for the state could be gauged from the fact that the duo plans to do a lot of shopping and enjoy various delicacies.

Punjab di Mitti di gall hi kuch hor hai (There is something about the soil of Punjab). In Holland too,there are a lot of Punjabi restaurants and shops and we keep going there. People look familiar here. There is not much difference between East Punjab and your Punjab. In most of the European cities,Indian and Pakistani Punjabi families shop and eat together, said Bukhari,whose ancestors belong to Gujarat,Pakistan.

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While Bukhari is eager to try various Punjabi delicacies,Raja is eager to do some shopping for traditional goods. We all love Punjabi music. We will definitely buy some traditional Phulkari items apart from music CDs. The Punjabi song Mundia toh rahi bach ke is very popular in Holland. Even Dutch kids have picked up the lyrics, said Raja. ENS

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Fans in Mohali to cheer SA,Dutch cricket teams

At the Van Der Merwe residence in Chandigarh,as the young Ivan starts speaking,his father Stephan is quick to make him talk in Afrikaans  the South African language.

At the Van Der Merwe residence in Chandigarh,as the young Ivan starts speaking,his father Stephan is quick to make him talk in Afrikaans the South African language.