World Cup 2023: Two Different Sides Of One Coined Trophy

After Australia’s victory over India in the World Cup 2023, team captain Pat Cummins shared several photos on Instagram. Among these, one photo sparked a lot of debate and criticism online. 

This photo shows Mitchell Marsh, an Australian cricketer, sitting on a couch with his feet placed on the World Cup trophy. Marsh is seen with a medal around his neck, smiling at the camera.

Many people on the Internet found this act disrespectful. They believe that the World Cup trophy, which is a symbol of great achievement in cricket, should be treated with more respect. 

In the photo, instead of holding or standing beside the trophy, Marsh is casually resting his feet on it. This has been seen as an act of not valuing the trophy’s significance.

In many cultures, including ours in India, such behavior towards a symbol of triumph is considered inappropriate. We often see objects of achievement or new possessions being treated with great respect, even worshipped. 

Therefore, seeing the World Cup trophy being used as a footrest by Marsh has upset many fans and cricket enthusiasts, leading to the criticism he’s facing now.

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On the other hand, India faced a tough loss against Australia in the 2023 Cricket World Cup final held in Ahmedabad. This defeat was particularly hard-hitting as India had performed exceptionally well throughout the tournament, winning all their matches up to the final. 

After the game, Mohammed Shami, one of India’s fast bowlers, shared a message on a social media platform. He expressed his gratitude for the support from all Indians and especially mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the dressing room. 

Shami’s post included a photo with India’s Prime Minister. PM Modi is seeing consoling the Indian cricketers. He assured fans that the Indian cricket team would make a strong comeback.

Similarly, Ravindra Jadeja, another key player, shared a photo of the Indian team with PM Modi in the dressing room. He described the visit as “special and motivating.”

PM Modi’s gesture of visiting the team and the players’ messages show a spirit of resilience and gratitude despite the setback, reflecting their readiness to bounce back in future matches.

It reminds many people of the same incident when ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission failed for just a bit. PM Modi was seen consoling ISRO’s ex-chief and other scientists. But this year ISRO made a world record with Chandrayaan-3 mission success. Well, some fans are hoping for the same again.

During the match, despite a solid start by Rohit Sharma and steady innings from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, India couldn’t set a high score and were all out for 240. Australia, after a shaky start, recovered remarkably due to a significant partnership between Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, leading to their victory.