The most powerful man in world cricket today himself retrieved the ball from amidst the seats and threw it back onto the field.
It was then that everyone realised Jay Shah is a left-hander.
The International Cricket Council hosted a dinner for the media on the eve of the semifinal at the Els Golf Club lawns in Dubai Sports City.
It is one of the most picturesque golf courses, located just a stone's throw away from the ICC office.
The media invite came from Jay Shah, the ICC chairman, who attended the dinner, met with all journalists, and posed for photographs.
Sibte Arif Naqvi of Pakistan's Geo News presented Shah with a traditional Ajrak from Sindh, Pakistan, crafted in the village of Ajrakhpur.
Ajrak shawls and dresses are renowned worldwide for their intricate craftsmanship.
On receiving the gift, Shah expressed his appreciation, saying, "Ajrak is truly an honour. It represents the rich culture and traditions of Sindh."
Rich Indians and the final ticket rush
The large contingent of Indian journalists was thrilled to see India reach the final since many of them had booked their return flights and accommodation until after the final.
They were anxious when Australian Skipper Steve Smith was batting smoothly and appeared set to post a big total.
It is understood that hotels near the stadium significantly hiked their rates as soon as India secured a spot in the final.
No one anticipated that they would be attending Smith's last ODI press conference as he announced his retirement from ODI cricket on Wednesday morning.
Online queue position 139,177 for a final ticket
Gopal Jasapara, one of Dubai's leading cricket coaches, found himself behind 139,177 people in the online queue, hoping to secure a ticket for the final.
There is a group of devoted fans who never miss an ICC final and are willing to pay exorbitant amounts for tickets.
Some fly in from different parts of the world while others manage to obtain tickets and regularly resell them to wealthy Indian fans.
At the ICC T20 World Cup final in Barbados, several individuals made a fortune as many fans had arrived without tickets, desperate to attend the match.
A six from Pandya for the VVIPs
Hardik Pandya's first six in the semifinal against Australia was hit straight towards ICC Chairman Jay Shah, who was seated in the VVIP section.
The most powerful man in world cricket today himself retrieved the ball from amidst the seats and threw it back onto the field. It was then that everyone realised Shah is a left-hander.
During his teenage years, he had received training from then Gujarat coach Jayendra Sehgal and played domestic cricket.
Seated close to Shah was Shyam Bhatia, a Dubai-based businessman and cricket enthusiast, who also owns a cricket museum.
Bhatia, who has never missed an ICC final anywhere in the world, mentioned, "Shah urged everyone to keep clapping nonstop until India reached the target."
'How to lose tosses and win matches'
Rohit Sharma's streak of losing tosses became a topic of discussion after he lost yet another one to Australia in the semifinal.
India has lost 14 tosses in a row, including 11 under Sharma's captaincy.
As he approaches the world record of 12 consecutive toss losses, currently held by Brian Lara, a journalist jokingly suggested that Sharma should practice winning tosses during training sessions.
Another quipped that Sharma, inspired by the famous motivational book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, should write a book titled How to Lose Tosses and Win Matches.
This was followed by a humorous remark that Sharma should lose the toss in the final as well -- after all, world records are not easy to achieve!
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
© 2025