Australia and India don't have too many things in common. But one great passion they share is cricket. This common obsession of the two nations is often used by agencies to promote interaction between the people of the two countries. That is what Tourism Western Australia is doing.
This organisation, meant to promote tourism in the western part of the land down under, has decided to use legendary former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist as their brand ambassador. As part of a campaign, the former wicketkeeper-batsman has been touring across India.
On Wednesday, coming to the end of his stay in the country, Gilchrist seemed to be relaxing after travelling to various destinations. He uploaded pictures of a cut-out of two quokkas – a species of marsupial animals unique to Australia – at various locations of Mumbai on his Instagram account.
Apparently, this cut-out was also being used to promote tourism to Western Australia. In his text message, Gilly, as he was popularly known, wrote: "After a solid few days promoting @westernaustralia throughout India, these rockstars deserve a little chill time by the pool."
To this very cute post, an interesting response came from the witty and, at times, provocative former English captain and now, a leading commentator, Michael Vaughan. He responded by writing to his former rival: "Your kids have smaller ears ..."
So, is this a typical sledge between an Australian and an Englishman? Or, has Vaughan crossed the line? Most likely, the latter. Vaughan is not only a former England captain but also someone who has very good relations with Australian ex-cricketers and media.
He is now a part of the coverage of cricket played down under as the new host broadcasters, Channel 7, has got him on its commentary team. He, along with Isa Guha, former member of England women's team, has added a new dimension to the coverage of Australian cricket.
Coming back to the quokkas, while Australia is known for having unique indigenous species like kangaroos and koalas, quokkas too deserve attention. Like their other famous compatriots kangaroos and wallabies, these animals are marsupials but small in size.
The reason why these animals have been chosen to represent the natural beauty of Western Australia, in particular, is that they are only found on tiny islands which are just off the coast of that region of the country. Their apparent cuteness, as well as friendliness towards humans, makes them the perfect brand ambassadors, alongside Gilchrist, to allure tourists.
