SA cricketers struggle to say 'Thiruvananthapuram'; Shashi Tharoor reacts

In the video shared by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, most South African cricketers struggled to correct the pronunciation. Watch the video here

The South African cricket team has arrived in India for the Cricket World Cup 2023 and is currently based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

The South African cricketers have started their practice and are scheduled to play a World Cup warm-up match against New Zealand on Monday. However, the name of the city left a few of the players scratching their heads, and their attempts to pronounce 'Thiruvananthapuram' were captured in a video that has gone viral on social media.

The video, which Congress leader Shashi Tharoor shared on Sunday, shows most of the South African cricketers struggling to get the pronunciation right, leading to some humorous attempts. However, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, and Lungi Ngidi could pronounce the name correctly.

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Heinrich Klaasen failed to get the name right several times before opting to learn the old name of the city – Trivandrum.

"The South Africans have arrived in Thiruvananthapuram! But can they tell anyone where they are?" Tharoor asked alongside the video on X (formerly Twitter).
 

The South African have arrived in Thiruvananthapuram ! But can they tell anyone where they are? pic.twitter.com/N9LnyVLVH9

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 1, 2023

South Africa vs New Zealand

On Friday, the World Cup warm-up match between South Africa and Afghanistan in Thiruvananthapuram was called off without a ball being bowled.

Heavy rain frustrated both teams, who now have one further warm-up match to sort out their plans before the tournament begins next week.

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The Proteas, whose captain Temba Bavuma had to return home for family reasons, will hope for improved weather in Thiruvananthapuram before their final warm-up against New Zealand on Monday, 2 October.

Bavuma is expected to rejoin the squad for South Africa's opening match of the tournament against Sri Lanka in Delhi on 7 October.

Afghanistan have a final warm-up against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday before opening their tournament against Bangladesh in Dharamshala, also on 7 October.