Tap Water Concerns Trigger Italy Cricketers To Disrespect India, ICC To Take Action?

Italy players talk about 'tap water' in India [Source: @Nher_who, @khelshel/x]

Italy cricketers raised objections regarding the infrastructure in India prior to the launch of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. A couple of days before the tournament’s curtain raiser, players like Justin Mosca, Anthony Mosca, Ben Manenti and captain Harry Manenti talked about the tap water in India shortly upon their arrival.

When captain Harry Manenti joked about the matter during a candid podcast, his teammates seemingly burst into laughter.

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Italy cricketers laugh over India’s ‘tap water’

Italy’s Mosca brothers, Justin and Anthony, as well as the Manenti brothers, Ben and Harry got together for a podcast with the Australia-based The Grade Cricketer. While the podcast was uploaded on February 5 prior to the launch of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, an excerpt from the 30-minute video is currently making rounds on social media.

At one point of the podcast, captain Harry Manenti talked about the ‘occasional drinking routine’ of Italy players on cricket tours. While the all-rounder started the discussion by recalling an earlier tour of Finland, his teammates could not control their laughter when the skipper talked about the ‘tap water’ in India.

Harry’s remarks and the subsequent reaction from teammates have since sparked debate online, with many linking the comments to broader concerns about infrastructure and basic facilities in India for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The Italy skipper said, “When we started in our first tournament, we went over to Finland. We have grown a fair bit since then. Sitting down in the pub most evenings have a few steins, also found ourselves in a karaoke bar sometimes. Now the waters in India, not the tap water (teammates laugh), just a couple of Kingfishers in the team from now.”

Nehr_who?

@Nher_who

This is Italy’s cricket team on a podcast They are openly mocking our tap water & how poor the civic conditions are here in India The real issue isn’t their mockery The real issue is that our pathetic infrastructure which has made it easy for them to laugh. It's Embarrassing.

Feb 19, 2026, 1:30 PM

Will ICC take action against Italy?

As things stand, no, the International Cricket Council (ICC) in all likelihood will not be taking any action against the Italy cricketers. For starters, the players were involved in a light-hearted interactive podcast and did not raise any formal complaint or make any direct allegation regarding the tournament’s arrangements.

The controversy only sparked on social media on February 19 after an X user shared the footage without context. The video soon gained traction, particularly within the Indian fan community, with several of them expressing their concerns among themselves regarding the infrastructure.

Italy’s rise and spirited T20 World Cup debut

The Italy cricket team qualified for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after finishing runners-up at the 2025 Men's T20 World Cup Europe Regional Final last year. Making their T20 World Cup debut, Italy started off with a crushing 73-run defeat at the hands of Scotland in Eden Gardens on February 9.

However, the team scripted a historic 10-wicket routing of a strong Nepal side in Mumbai, thus registering their first-ever win in a T20 World Cup game. Italy also pushed the English national team to its brink during their high-scoring thriller in Kolkata.

The Harry Manenti-led side eventually capped its Group C campaign with a 42-run drubbing from West Indies. To sum up, Italy finished the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a win from four matches to finish number four on the five-team points table.

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