‘You live & breathe this sport’: South African actress praises India, slams own country for not supporting Women’s World Cup

In a striking commentary on women’s sport, South African actress and writer Thanja Vuur has criticised her homeland’s lack of support for its women’s cricket team in the World Cup final on November 2.

In a video posted on Instagram, Vuur praised the massive support Indian cricket fans displayed for the women’s team, pointing out how even cricket legends such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and VVS Laxman showed up at the stadium to cheer the women in blue.

The “cricket nerd” — as per her Instagram bio — contrasted it with the lack of similar support from South African icons. “Who the hell showed up from South Africa? … Where were our men, our icons?” she demanded. She went on to question her country’s attitude and expressed disappointment that not even the Sports Minister attended the event.

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A post shared by Thanja Vuur 🔥 (@cape_town_cricket_queen)

She also commended Indian fans for the belief, passion and energy they displayed during the match: “You guys live and breathe this sport… It is breakfast, it is lunch, it is dinner. You deserve it,” she said in her video.

She said: “India, you win this World Cup. Your congratulations are coming. Just give me a few minutes because first I’m going to tell you why. The reason is you.”

By publicly voicing her disappointment, Vuur has cast a spotlight on the necessity of equal support for women’s teams. She said the "belief" that the people of India showed in the players helped them achieve glory.

Even though cricket has a huge fan following in India, the women’s team is just now getting the much‑deserved recognition, representation and support — a little late, but never too late.

“Respectfully, I disagree with your take on this. If the World Cup were in SA, I’m certain it would’ve been the same scenario!” one user commented on the video. However, others expressed gratitude and agreed with her statements — saying, “That is the beauty of our India and Indian culture”, “Completely in agreement that support matters, at least when they’re playing a final… but the character shown by South Africa was phenomenal.”