Five instances when Indian cricketers were motivated by Indian PM

Narendra Modi, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid (Image Credit: Twitter)

Current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown keen interest in Indian cricket over the years. Since becoming the PM of India in 2014, he has talked about Indian cricket in a Radio Show 'Mann ki Baat' on state-owned All India Radio. Apart from this, he has also met a few Indian cricketers (Men and Women). In return, the Indian players have praised Modi for his inspiring words.

On the other hand, the former chief minister of Gujarat has also discussed the glorious moments of Indian cricket on the Radio Show mentioned above. While there a quite a lot of instances, we have filtered out five instances in which the Indian PM motivated the Indian players. So without further ado, let's jump to those instances.

Five times when the Indian PM motivated Indian players

Umesh Yadav, Narendra Modi (Image Credit: Twitter)

1. Narendra Modi sending words of inspiration to Umesh Yadav

On February 22, 2023, Umesh lost his father, a week ahead of the Indore Test against Australia. The senior Yadav was suffering from illness for a long time. Meanwhile, five days later, Modi penned down an emotional note for the India pacer.

The former wrote that he prays to God to give strength to Umesh in these difficult times. In reply, the 2013 Champions Trophy winner wrote "Thank you, Honourable Prime Minister, @narendramodi ji, for your condolence message on the sad demise of my father. This gesture means a lot to me and my family,"   

Mithali Raj, Narendra Modi (Image Credit: Twitter)

2. Motivational message to Mithali Raj after the 2017 Women's ODI World Cup loss

Former India skipper Mithali Raj led the team to their second-only final of the ODI World Cup in 2017. For the first since 2005, the team reaches the title clash. However, despite dominating most parts of the game, the Women In Blue lost the game by a bare margin.

Last year, as revealed by Raj, she said "After losing the 2017 World Cup final, when we returned to India, the kind of reception we received, honourable Prime Minister took out time for us. He recognised each and every women's cricketer by their name. He answered each and every question," Raj said. 

Harmanpreet Kaur, Narendra Modi (Image Credit: Twitter)

3. Speaking to Harmanpreet Kaur after India won the Bronze Medal in CWG 2022

Last year, the Women In Blue won the Bronze Medal in their maiden appearance in the CWG. In the Gold Medal match, India lost to Australia by a small margin despite dominating at one stage. Meanwhile, after the team arrived in India, Modi met the Indian skipper Kaur.

The latter said "It's quite important to receive motivation from the country's PM. When PM Modi speaks with us, it feels like the entire country is supporting us and that everybody is appreciating our hard work. It's a big achievement for our cricket team.” 

Shafali Varma, Narendra Modi (Image Credit: Twitter)

4. Congratulating India Women's U19 Team for winning 20-20 World Cup 2023

Last month, India Women's U19 team won the inaugural U19 Women's 20-20 World Cup 2023. The Shafali Varma-led side brushed aside England in the title clash. After this, Indian PM Modi congratulated the team.

He said “Congratulations to the Indian Team for a special win in the U19 20-20 World Cup. They have played excellent cricket and their success will inspire several upcoming cricketers. Best wishes to the team for their future endeavors.”   

Renuka Thakur, Narendra Modi (Image Credit: Twitter)

5. Praising Renuka Thakur during the CWG 2022

The young Indian pacer Thakur did well with the ball during the Commonwealth Games 2022. She took 11 wickets, including two four-wicket hauls during the team's Bronze medal-winning campaign. After the tournament ended, Modi said “The performance of all the players was excellent. Nobody had the answer against the swing of Renuka Singh Thakur. To be among the top wicket-takers in the Commonwealth Games is no little achievement. Her face has the peace of Shimla and the smile of mountains but her aggression puts the top batters in trouble. Such performance will definitely encourage daughters from distant areas to dream big,”