Prime Minister Narendra Modi took time off electioneering to attend to a national crisis, something he has in the past been accused of not doing. But his presence at the Ahmedabad stadium named after him did little to change India’s fortunes on Sunday.
Australians Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne snuffed out any hopes of an Indian World Cup victory that would have offered the Prime Minister and his party a chance to tom-tom their nationalist credentials in the middle of a bunch of state elections.
Modi had come to the stadium after addressing an election rally in Rajasthan, where polling is scheduled on November 25.
There was a loud cheer in the stands as the Prime Minister, sporting a blue half-jacket, arrived after about 32 overs at a time Head and Labuschagne were already running the home team ragged. But any hopes that the "Modi magic" might work on a cricket field were soon buried in a flurry of Aussie boundaries.
Amid the deepening gloom among the Indian fans, the Prime Minister smiled and waved to the crowd. Home minister Amit Shah, whose son Jay Shah is secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, was seated beside Modi.
After the match, Modi, standing alongside Australia's deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, handed over the World Cup trophy to the victorious captain Pat Cummins.
The Prime Minister later congratulated the Australians on X but stood by the Indian team.
"Congratulations to Australia on a magnificent World Cup victory! Theirs was a commendable performance through the tournament, culminating in a splendid triumph," Modi posted, with special mention of Head for his "remarkable game".
Modi addressed the defeated home team as "Dear Team India" and said: "Your talent and determination through the World Cup was noteworthy. You've played with great spirit and brought immense pride to the nation. We stand with you today and always."
India's defeat in Modi-Shah's home state spawned a thicket of memes and sarcastic posts on X.
"Stadium has been renamed. India loses at the Jawaharlal Nehru cricket stadium in Ahmedabad," joked one post.
"Breaking news... Australia Prime Minister ke ghar ED ka RAID," said another post, alluding to the frequent raids on Modi’s political opponents by central investigative agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate.
A meme showed Shah venting his anger against son Jay for India's defeat and BJP president J.P. Nadda rushing to Ahmedabad to take responsibility for the setback.
The match witnessed a security breach. A pro-Palestine activist, wearing a T-shirt with "Free Palestine" written on it, managed to enter the playing field and grab Indian batting star Virat Kohli by the shoulder before being removed.
