Australia captain Pat Cummins had to endure an awkward moment after his side upset India in the Cricket World Cup final.
Travis Head smashed a brilliant 137 to lead the Aussies home in a chase of 241 to win inside the gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. India were the heavy favourites to claim the trophy on home soil, having breezed into the showpiece by winning 10 matches in succession.
But after winning the toss and bowling first, Cummins’ side strangled the much-fancied batting line-up to set up a manageable chase. Head then put on a 192-partnership with Marnus Labuschagne (58 not out) to stun India and dampen the mood inside the gigantic stadium.
After the match, Cummins was presented with the trophy by India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose name adorns the stadium. The duo shook hands and posed for a few photos with the trophy alongside Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles before Modi abruptly turned around and headed off the stage with Marles.
The exit left Cummins standing by himself on a huge platform as fireworks went off in the background. The Australian captain initially looked baffled and then appeared to be holding back laughter at the absurdity of the situation in front of him.
The awkward moment was beamed around the globe to millions of cricket fans, but there were not many spectators left in the stadium to witness it. The majority of India’s fans, who made up the vast majority of the 92,453 official attendance, had already filed out by then, disappointed that their country would not win a first World Cup since 2011.
Defeat came as a blow to Rohit Sharma and his players, but also to Modi himself, who was visible throughout the match and was banking on a home win to boost his chances of being re-elected. Cummins brushed off the awkwardness pretty quickly and was soon in a press conference talking about his side’s brilliant performance.
"You've got to win a World Cup. You can't just wait for it to happen," he said. "You have to be brave at times and take the game on and there was a real shift after those first two games. The openers went really aggressive and they didn't really waiver from that after that. There was total buy-in from the group."
He added: "Travis just did what he does. He was really brave and took the game on and put the pressure back on. To do it on the biggest stage shows a lot of character.
"It was amazing. The unheralded few, the selectors that backed him in and the medical team that got him back. It was a big risk that we took but it paid off. I couldn't be happier for Trav, he's a legend. How fun is he to watch?"