Renowned fashion photographer and Bollywood producer Atul Kasbekar expressed strong reactions following India's loss to Australia in the World Cup final at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. Kasbekar, taking to the platform X (formerly Twitter), emphasized the need for stadiums to host genuine fans and wisely choose venues. He cited the example of India's 2011 World Cup win at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium and criticized the Ahmedabad crowd as "rubbish."
In his tweet, Kasbekar stated, "Last word The Ahmedabad crowd was rubbish Need proper fans inside a stadium instead of fly by night pretenders Like the amazing people at Wankhede Proper fans Cheered the team on and especially Shami post the dropped catch Chanted his name non stop Boosted him and the team Energised them Lifted them when the Kiwis were looking ominous Shami got 7 eventually Last time out in Mumbai for a WC final, we won Choose ur venues wisely."
Despite the disappointment, Kasbekar commended Team India, stating, "Thought I’d wake up shattered. Oddly enough, didn’t Team India gave us some of the best cricket we’ve seen in ODIs ever. Didn’t happen last game. But massively proud of the men in blue. Thank u for giving it your all lads. There’ll be other days."
In the World Cup final, Australia chose to bowl first, restricting India to 240 runs in 50 overs. While India started well and had Australia at 47/3, a stellar century from Travis Head (137 in 120 balls) guided Australia to a six-wicket victory. Head received the 'Player of the Match' award, while Virat Kohli was honoured as the 'Man of the Tournament' for his remarkable contribution of 765 runs, including three centuries.
Meanwhile, Atul Kasbekar, known for producing films like "Neerja," "Tumhari Sulu," and "Looop Lapeta," has established himself as a prominent figure in both the fashion and film industries.