Australian Cricketers Face Threats After Win Over India
Vini and Glenn Maxwell, top, with son Logan.
November 23, 2023
Last Sunday, Indian Air Force planes performed aerobatic formations over Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, prior to the start of the World Cup cricket final between India and Australia. A record crowd of over 100,000, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gathered at the stadium for the one day 50 overs contest.
But well before the game ended, thousands of Indians started leaving when it became evident that Australia was heading to a comfortable win.
"This is humiliating a guest,” a fan posted on X, formerly Twitter. “India played like champions but Australia had a better day yet leaving the captain of a winning team alone on the stage is just too sad. I mean COME ON!!!"
Another fan posted on X, “Quite pathetic of the crowd that's already left the stadium. This team played like a dream for a month and a half. They -- and world champions Australia -- deserve a proper ovation at the end of this incredible match. Not empty seats.”
Indeed, the Indian team had an outstanding set of wins against their earlier opponents and were widely expected to win the World Cup. As the headline of the BBC story on the game aptly put it, “Australia stunned hosts India in Ahmedabad to win the men's Cricket World Cup for a sixth time.”
Following the end of the game, many on the Indian team openly wept, including captain Rohit Sharma. And while Indians were upset by the loss, some fans took extreme actions.
“During the celebrations, the families of Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head, along with other (Australian) players and some of the press, were subjected to vile online abuse,” according to SkyNews.com.
Maxwell, an explosive batsman who scored Australia’s winning run, is married to Vini Raman. She and their son Logan, born earlier this year, were in India during the tournament. After the final, Vini Maxwell posted on Instagram that she received “hateful vile” messages, including reminders of her Indian roots.
She noted, “Can’t believe this needs to be said BUT you can be Indian and also support the country of your birth where you have been raised and more importantly the team your husband and father of your child plays in #nobrainer.”
Others receiving vile messages included Jess, the wife of Travis Head, whose 137 runs ensured Australia’s win; ESPN Australia’s Steve Smith got a message that said, “I hope plane crashes, all of your team die along with their family members”; and Grade Cricketer host Ian Higgins got a message asking him to “kill yourself”.
A few bad eggs are unfortunately “tarnishing India’s reputation in the wake of the World Cup final,” noted Foxsports.com, Australia.
Several Indian fans asked the haters to stop posting. “A wife would obviously support her husband. Grow up People,” wrote one fan. “Feeling ashamed as an Indian cricket fan…It’s unfair to resort to abuse directed at players or anyone’s spouse,” stated another fan.
Glenn Maxwell plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Indian Premier League
In 2013, Glenn Maxwell, known as Maxi, earned a million-dollar contract from Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians. He then played for another IPL team Kings XI, Punjab. Since 2019 he has played for Royal Challengers, Bangalore, earning $1.5 million on his 2022 contract. Maxwell, 35-years-old, was part of the Australian team that won the World Cup in 2015.
In 2019, Maxwell stopped playing competitive cricket for two months. “I decided to take some time off and a big reason…was because I was mentally and physically ruined from I think it was eight months on the road and living out of a suitcase," Maxwell told reporters. Vini Raman, who was then his girlfriend, “was the first person who noticed it. Once I had that initial conversation it was a huge weight off my shoulders,” he added.
Vini Maxwell, 30-years-old, was born in Australia to parents who emigrated from Tamil Nadu, India. She attended Mentone Girls Secondary College, a government-run high school of more than 1,100 students located in Melbourne's southeast beachside suburb of Mentone, Victoria.
The invitation card for Vini and Maxi’s wedding, which took place last year, was reportedly also printed in Tamil. While they had an Indian-style engagement ceremony, the wedding was a Christian ceremony. The couple and their son live in Melbourne, where Vini works as a pharmacist.
“Aaaaand cue all the hateful vile DMS. Stay classy,” Vini Maxwell posted on Instagram, along with photos from her trip to India for this month’s World Cup.
“Take a chill pill and direct that outrage towards more important world issues."
So far, there are no news reports that any official in Modi’s government has publicly criticized the trolls for sending hate messages to the Australians. It is also not known whether or not the government plans to take criminal actions against the trolls.
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