Australian all-rounder, pictured with his feet on the trophy after their World Cup title, says he would repeat it again as he lashes out on scheduling a T20I series soon after World Cup.
Mitchell Marsh, who faced significant backlash from Indian fans for resting his feet on the World Cup trophy, has clarified that he meant no disrespect in a recent interview with the SEN Radio network in Australia.
A day after Australia clinched the World Cup title by defeating India in the final, a photograph emerged showing Marsh with his feet on the trophy, provoking criticism from Indian fans. Even Indian pacer Mohammed Shami expressed feeling hurt by the incident, and a concerned fan even wrote to the Prime Minister's Office and the Union Sports Ministry, urging a ban on Marsh playing cricket in India.
Addressing the controversy, Marsh stated, "Yeah, probably, to be honest. There was obviously no disrespect meant in that photo at all. I haven't given it too much thought; I haven't seen a lot on social media, even though everyone tells me it's gone off. There's nothing in that."
While Marsh has returned to Australia, some of his teammates are still in India participating in the five-match T20I series. Marsh acknowledged that the ongoing series has somewhat disrupted their celebratory mood. He expressed understanding of the delicate balance between respecting their commitments to the Australian team and the human aspect of celebrating a World Cup victory.
"Yeah, it was pretty outrageous for the guys that had to stay behind," Marsh remarked. "It's a fine line because we've got to respect the fact we're playing for Australia, and it's a series against India, which is always really big. But there's also the human side of it; the boys have just won a World Cup and probably deserve to celebrate for a while and get home to their families. It's an interesting one. You'd hope there's not too many of those series put on after big tournaments again."
Reflecting on his teammates who had to remain in India for the T20I series, Marsh expressed solidarity, saying, "I celebrated for the six guys who stayed behind; I celebrated for them."
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 "‘Would Probably do again': Marsh justifies his controversial photo with feet on World Cup trophy")
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