The T20 World Cup-winning team met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in New Delhi on Thursday after returning from Barbados.
The team returned to India on a charter flight and, soon after, met the prime minister, who congratulated them on the triumph.
A few clips were played during the meet-and-greet session and Modi asked several players about various aspects of the exciting final.
During the meeting that lasted more than an hour, Modi expressed happiness over India’s win and how the team fought back from crunch situations.
He asked Sharma how mud tastes after the skipper was seen putting a piece of the turf in his mouth after the victory. Kohli had not been among the runs going into the final and the prime minister wanted to know what he was thinking going into the big game. Axar was asked how he felt when he was promoted with the team in trouble in the final.
South Africa were on the verge of victory when 30 runs were needed off as many deliveries with Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller in total control. From that position, India’s bowling attack, led by Bumrah, orchestrated a stunning comeback. Modi asked the pace bowling spearhead what was going through his mind at that stage. Pandya was asked about his overall performance and how he planned the last over in which the Proteas needed 16 runs to win.
Suryakumar, whose acrobatic catch on the boundary turned out to be match-winning as India won an ICC trophy after more than a decade, was asked to relive those magical seven seconds.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid during an interaction, in New Delhi, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (PTI Photo)
The squad, which beat South Africa in the final in Bridgetown on Saturday, had their homecoming delayed due to a hurricane prevailing in the Caribbean. It was only after an Air India charter flight was diverted to the West Indian island that Sharma & Co could get home with the trophy.
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