The International Council of Cricket was at the receiving end of online criticism on Wednesday afternoon after it released its much-awaited World Cup anthem ahead of the quadrennial tournament scheduled to take place in India starting this October.
A raft of social media users took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to haul ICC over the coals for the anthem, claiming that it was a big disappointment for everything that the tournament represents.
The anthem, titled ‘Dil Jashn Bole,’ features Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh in the lead role. Pritam, a highly accomplished music composer, has crafted the music for this anthem. Additionally, the anthem showcases the choreography of Dhanashree Verma, who is married to Yuzvendra Chahal, the renowned India leg-spinner. In the three-minute and 22-second-long anthem, viewers embark on a visual voyage across India aboard the ‘One Day Express.’
DIL JASHN BOLE! #CWC23
— ICC (@ICC) September 20, 2023
Official Anthem arriving now on platform 2023 📢📢
Board the One Day Xpress and join the greatest cricket Jashn ever! 🚂🥳
Credits:
Music – Pritam
Lyrics – Shloke Lal, Saaveri Verma
Singers – Pritam, Nakash Aziz, Sreerama Chandra, Amit Mishra, Jonita… pic.twitter.com/09AK5B8STG
But the anthem failed to dazzle X users, who were particularly critical in roasting the ICC for releasing a song that failed to strike a chord with the audiences like earlier ones had done, primarily the one released before the 2011 World Cup.
A social media user deemed the World Cup anthem a “Monumental disaster” and expressed disappointment at the song released by the ICC.
Monumental disaster! What a disappointing World Cup anthem have they released. Can’t they have come up with something better and refined? Such loud and garish lunacy is cringeworthy to say the least https://t.co/n5xu8C9EUI
— Brutal Truth (@sarkarstix) September 20, 2023
Another user appeared bewildered as to what ICC had created in the name of the World Cup anthem.
— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) September 20, 2023
Ajeet Bharti, a popular political analyst and commentator, was so disappointed with the new anthem that he remarked that it would have been better if ICC had not released the song altogether if it had to come up with something like this.
ये क्या बनासीर बना दिए हो बे @bcci? सड़कछाप चलताऊ लिरिक्स, शोर भरा संगीत, घटिया वोक ग्राफिक्स… नहीं भी बनाते तो सही ही रहता, किस फैन ने माँगा कि गीत बना दो? क्रिंज की परिभाषा है ये गीत। pic.twitter.com/K1W6lCyH3f
— Ajeet Bharti (@ajeetbharti) September 20, 2023
Another popular X user, @theskindoctor, who is known for his sarcastic jibes, took a dig at the ICC in his characteristic manner, asking ICC to not release “masterpieces of such magnitude for the public as it diminishes their exclusivity and sanctity.”
Awesome song! Masterpieces of this magnitude shouldn't be made available to the general public, as it diminishes their exclusivity and sanctity. Please consider keeping it exclusively for use in ICC and BCCI offices, and refrain from releasing it to the general public.
— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) September 20, 2023
The World Cup commences with defending champion England facing off against New Zealand, the last edition’s runner-up, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India will embark on their World Cup campaign against the five-time winners Australia on October 8 at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. In this year’s event, a total of 10 teams are participating. Each team will compete against all others, and the top four teams will progress to the semi-finals.
