Multicultural Canada's Indian connection

There are eight players of Indian origin in Canada's World Cup squad, and though they acknowledge their roots and close connection to the country, they are Canadians first and embrace the multicultural identity of the team, that also includes Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Canadian, West Indian, Australian and Ugandan players, writes Shivani Naik in the Indian Express.

When he arrived in India for the World Cup, Hansra’s extended family of 20-odd cousins trooped in to cheer for their relative. The bigger surprise though was how some of his old school friends from Ludhiana had tracked him down on Facebook after seeing the team list, and reached Bangalore to watch their schoolmate play. “I’ve been to north India before, but it’s good to visit with my team,” he says, never once forgetting what he owes to his adopted country, even if his Indian acquaintances shower all the affection on him owing to his status as a Cupper.