Iconic detail missing from Australia’s World Cup celebrations explained
It has not gone unnoticed that there was something missing during Australia’s World Cup victory celebrations in india.
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Australia’s World Cup celebrations looked very different this time around.
The Aussie team has been letting loose after their epic victory in the tournament final against India on Monday morning, but it has not gone unnoticed that the trophy presentation ceremony did not include the traditional champagne showers that have been seen in previous Aussie World Cup victory celebrations.
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It was a slightly underwhelming sight as captain Pat Cummins held the ICC World Cup trophy aloft in front of a mostly-empty Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad with most fans clearing out as Australia cruised to a 42-run win.
It did nothing to dampen the spirits of the Aussie players, however, with photos from the dressing room showing the epic celebrations the players shared with each other and family members.
Even in the sheds it was noted there was not a drop of liquor on hand.
There is a simple explanation for the scene.
Ahmedabad is situated in Gujarat, a dry province.
The sale of alcohol is prohibited in the state where more than 80 per cent of the population identifies as Hindi.
Foreigners are only permitted to consume alcohol in the state if they obtain a special government permit — and are not permitted to drink in a public place.
The Aussies did appear to consume alcohol as the celebrations moved onto the team hotel after leaving the venue.
The only evidence of it is a photo of Mitch Marsh holding what appears to be a beer while he rested his legs on the trophy.
The only other obvious sign was the series of selfie photos shared by Travis Head, with each one showing the man-of-the-match hero looking more and more dishevelled.
Code Sports’ Daniel Cherny told Channel 7’s Sunrise on Monday: “It’s a dry state, so they won’t be going out to the nightclubs here or anything like that.
“I think they can get some drinks back at the team hotel.”
Sunrise host Matt Shirvington was surprised to hear the news.
“It sounds like the celebrations will mirror the crowd reaction,” he said.
The scene would not have impacted the Aussie side with Cummins famously acting to cut previous celebrations with alcohol to accommodate for Test batter Usman Khawaja.
The Muslim cricketer, who does not drink alcohol, was dragged into a storm during Australia’s victory celebrations after the team’s triumph in the World Test Championship final in June when champagne bottles remained corked
It was far from the first time under Cummins’ leadership that the Aussie team has foregone champagne during its celebrations — and the fast bowler was widely praised last summer for pulling his team up in the middle of the Ashes series victory celebrations to allow Khawaja to join in.
That doesn’t mean Aussie players haven’t celebrated like maniacs with alcohol after previous victories under Cummins — but they appear to be conducting themselves in a different fashion.
It shows how far the team has come in recent years compared to the victorious team that won the World Cup in 2015 where David Warner appeared to spray champagne on almost all of his teammates.
More than 24 hours after Australia defeated India, it is fair to say at least a few players are yet to sleep as the party continues into Day 2.
They earned it.
The scenes inside the team hotel are more likely to resemble those of simpler times where Shane Warne and his iconic generation of Aussie cult figures celebrated in style.
This generation under Cummins now deserves to be held with similar esteem as the unbeatable dynasties under the captaincy of Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh.
They’ve earned it.
Scroll on below to see a taste of the celebrations from inside the Aussie dressing room.
Originally published as Iconic detail missing from Australia’s World Cup celebrations explained
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