Dinesh Karthik hails Lionel Messi, Shubman Gill bows down to 'GOAT'; Indian cricketers react to Argentina's win

Lionel Messi reached the pinnacle of world football on Sunday, December 18 as he led Argentina to a 4-2 penalty shootout win over France in the final of FIFA World Cup 2022 in Lusail. Argentina's triumph sparked massive celebrations not just in Qatar, as well as back in South America, but also in the Indian subcontinent. 

Many Team India players of past and present, including the likes of Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammed Shami among others congratulated Messi and Argentina for their World Cup triumph. 

Messi scored twice in the final, helping Argentina put 3 goals past the defending champions France, but a hattrick from Kylian Mbappe, including a late penalty to level the score, saw the match go to penalties. 

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After Argentina won 4-2 in the shootout, Twitter was flooded with memes and reactions, as the Indian cricketing fraternity united in their wishes for Messi and his team. 

Dinesh Karthik tweeted that Messi and Argentina's win was 'written in the stars, while Shubman Gill and Kuldeep Yadav, who are currently with the Indian side in Bangladesh for the ongoing Test series, bowed down and hailed Messi as the 'Greatest of all time'. 

The GREATEST of all time Leo Messi
SIIIIIIUUUUUUU pic.twitter.com/HMgu6Kl085

— Shubman Gill (@ShubmanGill) December 18, 2022

They say some things are written in the stars

I'm a believer! #LeoMessi#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/wQGB1CX9s5

— DK (@DineshKarthik) December 19, 2022

A Twitter user had predicted back in 2015 that Messi and Argentina would win the World Cup in 2022, and the tweet went viral. Virender Sehwag also took notice of the same and quoted the tweet and wrote, "Samjho, ho hi gaya (Consider it done 1) #FIFAWorldCup."  

Woah !!! Not over till it’s over

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) December 18, 2022

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Yuvraj Singh wrote, "Unbelievable game of football! Hard to express in words what it means to #messi and Argentina took me back to memory lane when a special bunch of boys did it for no 10 !! #2011 Congratulations to all the Argentinian fans out there."

Unbelievable game of football! Hard to express in words what it means to #messi and Argentina took me back to memory lane when a special bunch of boys did it for no 10 !! #2011 Congratulations to all the Argentinian fans out there #FIFAWorldCupFinal @KMbappe

— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) December 18, 2022

"Many congratulations to Argentina on doing this for Messi! Wonderful comeback from the way they started the campaign. Special mention to Martinez for the spectacular save towards the end of extra time. That was a clear indication to me that Argentina would clinch this," wrote Sachin Tendulkar. 

Many congratulations to Argentina on doing this for Messi! Wonderful comeback from the way they started the campaign.

Special mention to Martinez for the spectacular save towards the end of extra time. That was a clear indication to me that Argentina would clinch this. pic.twitter.com/KoXOTl1fSE

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 18, 2022

Earlier, Team India skipper KL Rahul had spoken in his press conference after India versus Bangladesh's first Test, that the whole side will enjoy the final together, and they did together, with pictures of the Indian players going viral.