T20 WC Final: From ‘panauti’ to ‘reverse-jinx’ hero, Prafull Billore's playful social media war against South Africa

MBA Chai Wala's Prafull Billore went from accidental "panauti" to self-proclaimed "reverse jinx hero" faster than you can say googly! Check his memes here.

Published on: Jun 29, 2024, 22:53:44 IST

By Yamini C S

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As the electrifying India-South Africa T20 World Cup final kicked off, all Indian cricket enthusiasts fervently rooted for a triumphant outcome for their team. Amidst this fervour, Prafull Billore, the founder of MBA Chai Wala Group, has taken social media by storm in the most unexpected way.

Billore shared a horde of images photoshopping himself to pose with South African cricketers ahead of the India vs South Africa T20 World Cup final. (X)

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It all started innocently enough when Billore posted a selfie featuring cricketer Suryakumar Yadav, which unwittingly led to a spate of online banter dubbing him as the notorious “panauti”, meaning unlucky, after Yadav's lacklustre performance in the league. Rather than shying away from the limelight, Billore embraced this title and put a humorous spin on the trolling, photoshopping himself into images with South African cricketers.

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Soon, fans followed, posting Billore's photoshopped images with various South African players in a "reverse-jinx" scheme. The internet exploded with laughter as he shared hilarious images alongside English cricket stalwarts like Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer, all in good-natured jest, following India's spectacular 68-run triumph over England in the semi-finals, where Billore's mischief with the English team garnered widespread attention.

From "panauti" to now being hailed as a "freedom fighter" against bad luck, Billore's quirky photos have become a rallying cry on social media, especially as India takes on South Africa in a crucial last step to the World Cup.

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Armed with a newfound reputation for his reverse-jinx prowess, he boldly posts selfies with South Africa's cricket stars, using the hashtag #IStandWithSouthAfrica.

Here are some of the memes circulating the internet:

“I thought to share this after the match, but I can’t wait any longer. Thank you for using your reverse superpowers to support India and tirelessly working for India’s win!" a user posted.

“The President Cyril Ramaphosa, just tweeted about changing the name of their country from South Africa to the “Republic of Prafull Billore,”” another said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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