For world champs and Olympic hopefuls, a meet with PM Modi

New Delhi: Last year, on November 19, the stage was set for India to win the biggest prize at the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. In attendance was a sea of blue, led by the honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. History wasn’t written on that day though, after Australia won by six wickets. Shoulders had dropped, tears were shed. After the defeat, PM Modi met the Indian team, consoled them and tried to lighten the mood by saying, “Yeh toh hota rehta hai”.

Rahul Dravid remembers that day. So, when the opportunity came to meet PM Modi after India had won the T20 World Cup at Barbados last Saturday, Dravid couldn’t help but recall the moment.

“I would like to thank you for giving us this opportunity to meet you and during our match in Ahmedabad, you had come there as well,” said Dravid in a video of the cricket team’s meeting with PM Modi on Thursday that was shared a day later. “I agree, the time was not that good, so we are very happy that we could meet you today on this happy occasion,” Dravid said in the interaction that happened at the Prime Minister’s residence.

Congratulating the cricket team, PM Modi said they had given the country a reason for joy and festivity. “You displayed extraordinary team spirit, talent and patience, you were not restless. You were full of confidence,” PM Modi said.

There were many points PM Modi touched upon in the interaction — Rohit Sharma eating a bit of soil at Barbados after the win, the reassuring voice of Rishabh Pant’s mother when PM Modi had called her after Pant’s near-fatal accident in 2022, the highs and lows of Virat Kohli, how Jasprit Bumrah always summons his best in crucial situations, applauding Arshdeep Singh’s father for putting nation’s interests ahead of his son’s achievements and gently reminding how India has shaped the cricketing landscape by helping strife-torn Afghanistan not too long ago.

Banter too, when PM Modi asked Kuldeep Yadav: “How dare you make your captain dance?,” after learning that Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal were the brains behind Rohit Sharma doing a celebratory walk-in jig to receive the World Cup. But most touching was how PM Modi delved into the range of emotions wins and defeats can stoke.

With the TV screens showing a collage of Indian cricketers and coaching staff breaking into tears after the T20 World Cup win, PM Modi said: “When you see those tears of joy, you realise how difficult defeat must have been. People don’t understand the pain a player goes through. That day when I saw you, I knew, I had the confidence you will win it. Congratulations.”

July the 4th was no ordinary day at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, with PM Modi also meeting the Paris Olympics bound Indian athletes. Many of the 120-odd athletes who have made the cut were present while Olympic medallists PV Sindhu, Neeraj Chopra, and Lovlina Borgohain joined the session virtually since they have already left the country for the final leg of their preparations. The light-hearted interaction had the PM urging the athletes not to think about medals but just trust their potential.

“Your focus should be to give your best performance,” he said. “Don’t think the opponent is stronger or more powerful. Trust your talent, that alone will give you results.”

Speaking to Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, PM Modi said he wants home-cooked ‘churma’ from him. He also asked the outbound athletes to observe the arrangements in Paris to help his government’s plan to bring the quadrennial showpiece to India in 2036.

“We are hoping to host the Olympics in 2036, it will help in creating a sporting atmosphere (in the country). Work is in progress to prepare infrastructure for it,” said PM Modi. “I won’t ask you to do anything in the middle of your events but when you are free, I would urge you to observe the arrangements. Your inputs will help our bid for 2036. We will have an understanding on how to make sure that we are better prepared.”