As India secured a commanding victory over Pakistan in Sunday’s Champions Trophy match celebrations erupted across the country with fans hailing the team’s stellar performance.
However, amid the jubilation, another name unexpectedly trended on social media—Abhay Singh, better known as ‘IITian Baba.’
Abhay Singh, an aerospace engineer-turned-sadhu, gained notoriety for his bold prediction ahead of the match, where he had categorically stated that India stood no chance of winning against Pakistan.
His remarks, made during a podcast appearance, resurfaced after the match, sparking a wave of trolling and criticism from Indian fans.
Social media roasts IITian Baba
Singh, a former IIT-Mumbai graduate, had risen to prominence during the Mahakumbh and has since become a viral figure in social media circles. In the podcast, he confidently declared, "Iss bar India nahi jeetegi. Virat Kohli aur sabko bol do ki jeet ke dikha dein. Maine bola nahi jeetegi India toh nahi jeetegi" (India will not win this time. Tell Virat Kohli and Co to try their best to win, but they won’t. If I say they won’t win, they won’t win).
However, as India secured an easy win, Singh’s prediction was met with scorn. Social media platforms were flooded with memes ridiculing the so-called ‘baba,’ with many questioning the credibility of his self-proclaimed ‘divine foresight.’
Several users urged content creators to stop featuring him on podcasts, branding him a fraud.
Among those who took a jibe at Singh was Prafull Billore, founder of the MBA Chai Wala Group, who jokingly announced his resignation as "panauti" (unlucky charm) for the Indian cricket team, suggesting that IITian Baba could take over the title.
Abhay Singh issues apology
Facing intense backlash, Singh took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to issue an apology. He posted an image of Virat Kohli and the Indian team celebrating their win, along with a message acknowledging his erroneous prediction.
"I want to publicly apologise and ask each one of you to celebrate. It’s party time. Mujhe mann hi mann pata tha ki India jeetega" (I knew in my heart that India would win), he wrote.
