Shameful act during India’s World Cup semi-final celebrations sparks outrage

Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): Team India defeated England by 7 runs in the second semi-final of the 2026 T20 World Cup at Mumbai's historic Wankhede Stadium, securing a proud entry into the final. The thrill of this thrilling 253-run match was at its peak. But something transpired in the stands that has left every true Indian cricket fan in shame, and it has now sparked a huge uproar on social media.

Shouting slogans against your own country for a foreign player!

During the match, when young England batsman Jacob Bethell was ruthlessly thrashing the Indian bowlers, some fans sitting in the stands crossed all limits. During Bethell's stormy century (105 runs), the stadium suddenly started echoing with chants of 'RCB-RCB'. Actually, Jacob Bethell is a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team for IPL 2026. In order to prove his loyalty to their IPL franchise, some RCB fans forgot their country in the international match and started celebrating wildly after beating the Indian team's bowlers.

People's anger erupted on social media

As soon as this incident at the stadium went viral on social media, cricket fans were furious. Internet users have called this act shameful and an injustice to the country. Users have strongly stated that when it comes to international cricket and a major platform like the World Cup, the country should always be placed above any IPL team. Millions of Team India fans have been deeply hurt by this club cricket obsession among a few individuals.

Ultimately, the Indian Lions turned the tables.

Even though England seemed to have the upper hand in the middle overs, the real heroes were our Indian bowlers. The English needed 69 runs to win in the last five overs, and the match could have gone either way. But then, yorker king Jasprit Bumrah wreaked havoc in his two overs, turning the tables completely. Then, Hardik Pandya's lethal bowling in the 19th over and Shivam Dube's brilliant defense in the final over snatched victory from England. On the strength of this historic performance, the Indian team has qualified for the T20 World Cup final for the second consecutive time.