Weeks after India's heartbreaking six-wicket loss against Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram blamed the 'Men in Blue' fans for presenting them as the winners of the prestigious tournament before the host country played the last game. While speaking on Star Sports, Akram accepted the fact that it was tough for the people of the host nation that the Men in Blue could not lift the World Cup since they were outstanding throughout the tournament.
He then asked the television, social media, and the fans to accept their mistakes as well since they already made Rohit Sharma's side the winner of the World Cup before the final game.
"I can understand that, as a nation, it will be tough to get over it because your team played so well throughout the tournament. They won 10 matches on the trot; there was consistent. But television, social media, fans... you all already made India the winner of the World Cup. You accept your mistake too, I'm sorry. You increased the hope of the people because they were playing so well. It's not entirely your fault. They were playing very good cricket. But it came to just one bad game. Credit goes to Australia," Akram said.
Akram further added that the fans have to move on since there's another World Cup coming in just six months.
"First of all, the Indian team played really well. It feels like a shock (that they lost in the final), they are down but it's alright. I still get asked about the loss in the 1999 World Cup final. When will our fans forget this? The fans of India and Pakistan have an elephant's memory. It's been 30 years since we lost that final and they still ask me why I opted to bat after winning the toss. So, don't take social media seriously; half of it is just drama. As a nation, you have to move on; there's another World Cup coming in six months," he added.
Recapping the match, India struggled on a tough batting surface after Australia elected to field first, with fifties coming from KL Rahul (66) and Virat Kohli (54). India was bundled out for 240 in their 50 overs. In the chase of 241, Travis Head (137) and Marnus Labuschagne (58*) guided Australia to their sixth WC title at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.
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