India's worst nightmare came true when their World Cup dreams were shattered at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, less than a week ago from now. Coming into the final on a red-hot streak India were expected to lift the crown against a resurgent Australia, becoming hot to handle. But the Men in Blue fell short on the final step.
After the loss, the Indian players were greeted by the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the dressing room who consoled the heartbroken team. Meanwhile, middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav has expressed his gratitude towards Modi for his visit. "Just after the World Cup final we were sitting in the dressing room and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi came in and gave us motivation," Suryakumar, who is leading India in a T20I series against Australia, said in a video.
"He met everyone and told us to move on, as it happens in sport and we will have to take it in our stride. It will take some time for us to get over it but his motivational words for those 5-6 minutes and meeting us is a big thing as he is the country’s leader. We listened to him carefully, spent time with him and will try to follow his suggestions," SKY added.
Virender Sehwag also opens on Modi's visit
Notably, former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag also opened up on Modi's visit in the dressing room. "It is very rare for a prime minister to meet players in the dressing room and lift their spirits after a crushing defeat. I have never seen a prime minister taking time out of his busy schedule to lend a shoulder to players heartbroken after a defeat. It was an incredible gesture by Prime Minister Modi to visit the dressing room and boost the morale of the boys.
"It was a time when the boys needed some hand-holding, a gesture of solidarity and support. In such lows, you need someone to comfort you like family members do. I believe it was a touching gesture that will go a long way to motivating our boys ahead of future engagements, especially multilateral events. It will motivate us to cross the final hurdle next time," Sehwag said.
