Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has finally spoken up about the controversy surrounding his gesture of putting his feet on the World Cup trophy during post-match celebrations. After Australia’s victory over India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, a viral picture captured Marsh with his feet on the trophy, leading to harsh criticism and suggestions that he disrespected the trophy and the game itself.
Twelve days after the incident, Marsh has now addressed the controversy, stating that there was no disrespect intended in the photo. He revealed that he hadn’t given it much thought and hadn’t seen much on social media despite being told about its impact. Marsh told SEN, “There was obviously no disrespect meant in that photo at all. I haven’t given it too much thought, I haven’t seen a lot on social media even though everyone tells me it’s gone off. There is nothing in that.”
During the tournament, Marsh scored 441 runs, but the limelight was stolen by Travis Head, who played a match-winning century in the final. Despite this, Indian star batter Virat Kohli was named the “Player of the Tournament,” having set a new record for the most runs in a single World Cup with 765 runs.
In the final match, Australia captain Pat Cummins dismissed Kohli for 54 runs, leaving India at 148-4. The crowd of over 92,000 at the Narendra Modi Stadium fell into stunned silence. Cummins had previously stated that there was no better feeling for an opposition player than quieting a partisan home crowd. Reflecting on the moment, Cummins said, “We did take a second in the huddle just to acknowledge the silence that was going around the crowd. It just felt like it was one of those days where it was all made for him (Kohli) to score another hundred like he normally does – so that was satisfying.”
The controversy surrounding Marsh’s gesture has now been addressed by the player himself, clarifying that no disrespect was intended. The incident sparked a significant reaction in India, but Marsh seems unaffected by the criticism.
