Fact Check: Indian proposes to Australian girlfriend during Champions Trophy semi-final? No, video is from 2020

Hyderabad: On March 4, India secured a spot in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy final by defeating Australia by four wickets in the semi-final. India’s opponent will be decided after the second semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa, scheduled for March 5 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The final will take place on March 9 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Meanwhile, following the first semi-final of the ongoing tournament, a video has been circulating claiming that an Indian supporter proposed to an Australian after Australia was knocked out of the tournament.

The video shows a man in the stands wearing an Indian jersey going down on one knee and proposing to a girl in an Australian jersey, who happily accepts. It also shows Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell congratulating the couple by applauding them from the field.

Facebook users (find them here and here) shared the video on March 4, captioning it, “India won the match and, along the way, proposed a girl too. Isn’t India just awesome?” (Translated from Malayalam)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading. The proposal goes back to an India-Australia match in 2020.

A keyword search led us to the video, originally published by the Hindustan Times, Mumbai Mirror, and The Lallantop on November 29, 2020. According to these media outlets, while Australia and India battled on the field in an ODI, a man in the stands found his life partner at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Dressed in an Indian team jersey, he went down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend as India chased a massive target. Hindustan Times also noted that Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell applauded the couple from the field, congratulating them on their special moment.

According to a November 30, 2020, report in The Economic Times, while the Indian cricket team struggled to chase a daunting target of 390 runs in the ODI against Australia and ultimately fell short, one Indian in the stands celebrated a personal victory.

The report further details how an Indian man went down on one knee and proposed to his Australian girlfriend during the match, just as the stadium cameras panned to the couple. As commentators urged, “Please say yes,” the girl accepted the proposal, and the couple hugged, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd—a clear sign of an affirmative response.

The X handle of Cricket Australia posted the video on November 29, 2020, captioning it, “Was this the riskiest play of the night? She said yes - and that’s got Glenn Maxwell's approval!”

Therefore, we conclude that the video is from an India-Australia ODI in 2020. The claim suggesting it is from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final is misleading.