“When you get someone like the Prime Minister of the country coming and visiting,” Ravi Shastri says PM Narendra Modi meeting team after World Cup loss can lift spirits of players

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the Indian team in their dressing room after they lost to Australia in the World Cup final.

“When you get someone like the Prime Minister of the country coming and visiting,” Ravi Shastri says PM Narendra Modi meeting team after World Cup loss can lift spirits of players

Virat Kohli, Narendra Modi and Rohit Sharma (Image via India Today)

On 19th November, India lost to Australia in the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup finals by 6 wickets after chasing down a measly score of 240. The entire Indian team were reasonably down, as a loss in the World Cup final is no player’s dream. But Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made sure he was there to console the Indian team. 

In a video that has now gone viral, he is seen greeting and congratulating members of the Indian Cricket Team for their performance in the 2023 World Cup, while also telling them losses are a part of the game. Former Indian coach, Ravi Shastri, told ANI News the PM consoling the team was outstanding because he knew how down a team can be after a loss in final. He also said the Prime Minister of your country visiting the dressing room is uplifting. 

YouTube video
I think it's an outstanding thing simply because I know what a dressing room feels like and I have been in that dressing room for more than seven years as a coach of India apart from many years as a cricketer. It is a gut-wrenching feeling and when you are down then you seem that you are out. When you get someone like the Prime Minister of the country coming and visiting the dressing room, it is something massive because it can lift the spirits of the players.
Shastri told ANI.

The Indian team now shifts its focus to the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. There are good chances senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma won’t feature, as the selection committee have tried making a young T20I team. Hardik Pandya will most likely captain as well. 

Mohammed Shami calls PM’s visit important 

Returning back home to Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, Mohammed Shami was greeted by reporters who wanted to talk to him. When asked about the Prime Minister’s visit, Shami said Modi meeting the players was something important. He added it gave him confidence when PM Modi encouraged the players after the loss. 

Narendra Modi and Mohammed Shami
Narendra Modi and Mohammed Shami (Image via X)

Shami had one of the best campaigns for an Indian bowler. Despite missing the first 4 matches, he went on to pick up 24 wickets in 7 matches. He picked up three 5-wicket hauls, which included 7 against New Zealand in the semi-finals. 

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