India-Pakistan Champions Trophy Final Was Fixed, says Union Minister

Making a sensational allegations on the Indian team, Union minister Ramdas Athawale feels that the ICC Champions Trophy final between India and Pakistan was fixed and demanded an inquiry.

Widely touted favourites India entered the finals on the back of some really dominating performances. Right from the first warm-up game when they had made light work of New Zealand to the semifinal where they were at their fluent best, beating Bangladesh by nine wickets, the Men in Blue proved their title-credentials with every passing game. Barring the upset against Sri Lanka, where Virat Kohli & Co. lost the match despite posting a massive 321, the defending champions looked completely unstoppable.

On the other hand, Pakistan had also entered the final after registering some impressive wins over the likes of England and South Africa but nobody had given them a chance to get the better of India especially after the way they lost their tournament-opener against the Men in Blue by a whooping margin of 124 runs.

However, defying all the odds and exceeding all the expectations, Pakistan thrashed India by 180 runs to win the title. The performance from the Men in Green was absolutely flawless but instead of giving them the credits, the politician said that the match appeared ‘fixed’.

“How could the cricketers, who played so well in the entire tournament, did not perform in the final match (in London on June 18)? It appears that the match was fixed and we demand an inquiry into it” the Republic Party of India (A) leader said.

He also demanded a 25 per cent reservation for Dalits and tribals in the team.

“Those who did not perform should be rested and eligible cricketers from the Dalit community should be given a chance in the team,” he said.