‘Stick to black magic’ – Fans react as Mamata Banerjee says India would’ve won ODI World Cup final if it happened in Kolkata or Mumbai

India suffered a major heartbreak after losing the ODI World Cup 2023 final to Australia by 6 wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19. It was quite a painful night for every Indian fan as the Men in Blue were undefeated throughout the tournament and expectations were high for them.

Many fans and experts believe that the slow surface in Ahmedabad backfired the plans of the Indian Cricket team. Australian captain Pat Cummins opted to bowl first after winning the toss and the decision turned right as they restricted India to a short total and chased the target with 6 wickets remaining.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has also pointed out a blunder made by hosts as he believes that India didn’t prepare the right pitch for the high-profile clash. “It was very, very sub-continental conditions today. A wicket preparation that has probably ended up backfiring on India to be totally fair,” Ponting was quoted as saying by Livemint.

They are trying to paint the entire country saffron: Mamata Banerjee

Meanwhile, West Bengal chief minister and renowned politician Mamata Banerjee has given a controversial statement regarding India’s World Cup loss. Mamata said that the Men in Blue would’ve won the tournament if the final match had happened in Kolkata’s Eden Garden or Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. She also alleged that the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) tried to ‘saffronise’ the jersey.

“They are trying to paint the entire country saffron. We are proud of our Indian players, and I believe that we would have won the World Cup if the finals had taken place in Kolkata or Wankhede (in Mumbai). They even tried to saffronise the team by introducing saffron practice jerseys. The players resisted, and as a result, they did not have to wear those jerseys during the matches,” Mamata was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Here’s how fans reacted:

https://twitter.com/swapnil4cricket/status/1727633315677733299

https://twitter.com/IAmGrootX18/status/1727628816938676359