“Did the BCCI and ICC act under the BJP’s pressure,” Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut claims Kapil Dev wasn’t invited to World Cup final because he supported women wrestlers

Raut asked whether ICC and BCCI worked under the Bhartiya Janata Party's (BJP) pressure and chose not to invite Dev just because he supported the women wrestlers.

“Did the BCCI and ICC act under the BJP’s pressure,” Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut claims Kapil Dev wasn’t invited to World Cup final because he supported women wrestlers

Kapil Dev, BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh (Images via ESPNcricinfo, The Hindu)

Shiv Sena (UBT) politician Sanjay Raut slams the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) for not inviting the legendary Kapil Dev to the 2023 ODI World Cup final between India and Australia in Ahmedabad. The Indian cricket fraternity also expressed their anger towards the two boards after Dev claimed that the organizers were very busy, which is why they forgot to invite him.

Speaking on the matter, Raut during an interview with The Indian Express, said that not inviting Indian cricket’s “biggest” icon, who brought glory by captaining the team to the 1983 ODI World Cup victory, was an insult to the entire Indian cricket fraternity. He asked whether ICC and BCCI worked under the Bharatiya Janata Party‘s (BJP) pressure and chose not to invite Dev just because he supported the women wrestlers. Notably, the women wrestlers were sitting on dharna in Delhi demanding justice after alleging sexual harassment by BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

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I think because Kapil supported the women wrestlers, the BJP has deliberately kept him away and thereby not only insulted Kapil but the entire cricket fraternity has been insulted.

Raut told The Indian Express.

Kapil Dev’s message to India after heartbreaking defeat to Australia in final

Team India fired on all cylinders in the World Cup as they were continuously winning matches. India’s Virat Kohli emerged as the batter with the most runs, and India’s Mohammed Shami scalped the most wickets despite playing just seven matches. But when it mattered the most, when they played the final against Australia, they faced a six-wicket loss.

Kapil Dev
IND vs AUS (Image via ESPNcricinfo)

The World Cup loss was not endured well by billions of Indian fans. And while many accepted the defeat, there were reports of fans dying by suicide or heart attack after the loss. India captain Rohit Sharma is yet to speak on the subject, and so is Kohli. These two players are unlikely to appear in another ODI World Cup.

As the Indian players and supporters are dealing with the heartbreak, Kapil Dev asked them to accept the defeat and move on. He said that though people feel winning is everything, the way of playing is more important. He urged the Indian supporters to respect Australia because they played better in the final.

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