Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said that Indian fans and the broadcast media in the country hyped a lot with their expectations of wanting the Indian team to win the 2023 World Cup. Questioning the excess hype, he stated that India were indirectly declared winners even before the final was played as well. However, Australia beat India in the 2023 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to win the ICC trophy for the sixth time.

Speaking to Star Sports, Akram said, “I can understand that, as a nation, it will be tough to get over it because your team played so well throughout the tournament. They won 10 matches on the trot; they were consistent. But television, social media, fans… you all already made India the winner of the World Cup. You accept your mistake too, I’m sorry. You increased the hope of the people because they were playing so well. It’s not entirely your fault. They were playing very good cricket. But it came to just one bad game. Credit goes to Australia.”

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Batting first after losing the toss, India managed to post only 240 on the board. Australia chased down the target in 43 overs, with six wickets to spare, as Travis Head smashed a hundred. While saying that the defeat in the 2023 World Cup final was a painful one for Indian fans, he urged them to move on as well.

“First of all, the Indian team played really well. It feels like a shock (that they lost in the final), they are down but it’s alright. I still get asked about the loss in the 1999 World Cup final. When will our fans forget this? The fans of India and Pakistan have an elephant’s memory,” the 57-year-old said.“It’s been 30 years since we lost that final and they still ask me why I opted to bat after winning the toss. So, don’t take social media seriously; half of it is just drama. As a nation, you have to move on; there’s another World Cup coming in six months,” Wasim Akram concluded.