Viral picture of crying photographer is not related to MS Dhoni’s dismissal in the World Cup semis

MS Dhoni has a massive fan-following and a lot was expected of him in the 2019 edition of the World Cup. After a few indifferent outings with the bat, he was in for a massive task in the semi-final against New Zealand at the Old Trafford in Manchester. Dhoni, who turned 38 on July 7, scored a half-century, but the Men in Blue lost the encounter by 18 runs to bow out of the 50-over tournament.

Dhoni’s knock was cut short in the penultimate over of India’s run-chase courtesy of a direct hit from Martin Guptill. Dhoni was caught inches short of the crease at the striker’s end and with his dismissal, the writing was pretty much on the walls for Team India. It was a heartbreaking moment for the players as well as the Indian fans as the team topped the points table with 15 points from nine matches.

Dhoni is a legend of Indian cricket after he got dismissed, one of his fans in Kolkata collapsed and died, such is the love and the admiration for him. Social media went into a meltdown after India fell short of 240, the target set by the Kiwis. In the meantime, a fan took this chance to spread a hoax, surrounding Dhoni. After the veteran got out, a picture of a crying photographer did the rounds on social media.

However, the viral picture has nothing to do with Dhoni getting out on his final World Cup appearance. The picture is, in fact, from the Asian Cup 2019, the quadrennial international men’s football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation. A supporter of the Iraq football team was seen shedding tears after his team’s defeat to Qatar.

The photographer’s name is Mohammed al-Azzawi, who was supporting his team during the Asian Cup Round of 16 match. Qatar went on to win the championship, beating Japan in the final. The tournament took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from January 5 to February 1. The photo of the photographer was posted by the official Twitter handle of the Asian Cup.

Here is the original picture

Passionate. Emotional moment for an Iraqi photographer during the Round of 16 clash against 🇶🇦 ! #AsianCup2019 pic.twitter.com/KZoXsp1N4U

— #AsianCup2023 (@afcasiancup) January 24, 2019