India may have easily beaten the US in the Twenty20 cricket World Cup on Wednesday but the real winners were the throngs of Indian-Americans who caught the big match in person.
Fans with ties to both countries packed Nassau County International Stadium on Long Island toting signs that showed off their split allegiance with phrases like, “USA is home. India is heart” and “I live in the US but my heart always belongs to India.”
“I gotta go for the US because, it’s a home game and I gotta rep,” said 30-year-old Mayank Kohli, a first-generation Indian-American from Philadelphia, when asked who he was rooting for. “But low key, I got my India shirt on underneath, so I win either way.”
Aarushi Agrawal, 18, was also torn.
“Our parents are from India but we were born here, so I wasn’t sure which team to support,” said Agrawal, 18, who grew up in Connecticut explaining the game rules to all of her friends.
Both the US and Indian teams came into the match undefeated Wednesday — prompting both groans and cheers from the crowd.
Ankur Barot, 39, turned out with his USA-loving 13-year-old son holding a sign reading “Dad vs. Son,” and an Indian flag over his head while the stars and stripes flew over his boy.
“When the US was doing well, he was excited and I was upset, and vice-versa,” said Barot, who was born in India but is an American now after serving six years in the Army.
“Yesterday, my son told me he wanted to support the US, not India. India is my home country but if you want to go for the US, that’s fine,” he said. “It broke my heart a little bit, but he is American and he loves the US.”
India handily defeated the US by seven wickets to move onto the “super eight” round. The US can advance if it beats Ireland on Friday.
“We are so proud of the American cricket team. They are fantastic. They hustle, they play hard. Today they played their hearts out,” said Bobby Singh Grewal, 51, who was born in India but moved to America in 1995.
For many fans, however, India’s win came second to the thrill of seeing their beloved sport in the US.
“It means a lot to have the cricket World Cup in America,” Agrawal said.
“Despite the fact we’re not in the country our parents came from, we’re able to have a sense of community and bond with strangers because we look Indian.”