A photo of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi grasping Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s hands in the Indian dressing room following the Men in Blue’s loss in the 2023 World Cup final has gone popular on social media. Modi paid a visit to the Indian squad to bolster morale after the hosts were defeated by Australia in the summit showdown.
India’s cricket team had not tasted defeat entering the 2023 World Cup finale at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. They boasted a flawless record from nine league matches, plus a semi-final victory over New Zealand by a comfortable 70-run margin. But, in the high stakes of the final, they faltered. Their journey ended in a disappointing six-wicket defeat.
PM Modi, who attended the final, went to the Indian dressing room after the game and shared the players’ anguish. He may be seen grasping the hands of skipper Rohit Sharma and senior batsman Virat Kohli in one of the popular photos.
PM Narendra Modi with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. pic.twitter.com/RybZEo0cCP
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 20, 2023
Ravindra Jadeja, an Indian all-rounder, also shared a photo of the PM’s visit to the Indian dressing room, writing that his support was remarkable and inspirational.
“We had a great tournament but we ended up short yesterday. We are all heartbroken but the support of our people is keeping us going. PM @narendramodi’s visit to the dressing room yesterday was special and very motivating.”
Ravindra Jadeja
PM Modi was also spotted hugging veteran bowler Mohammed Shami during his visit to the Indian dressing room. Recognizing the Prime Minister’s kindness, the Indian fast bowler took to X and posted:
“Unfortunately yesterday was not our day. I would like to thank all Indians for supporting our team and me throughout the tournament. Thankful to PM @narendramodi for specially coming to the dressing room and raising our spirits. We will bounce back!.”
Shami was the 2023 World Cup’s best wicket-taker, with 24 wickets in seven matches at an average of 10.71.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ruled the batting in the 2023 World Cup
While India failed to break their ICC title drought, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma thrived with the bat, finishing as the tournament’s top two run scorers. The former accumulated a record 765 runs in 11 innings, with three hundreds and six fifties, at an average of 95.62 and a strike rate of 90.32.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, on the other side, hammered 597 runs at an average of 54.27 and a strike rate of 125.95. He had a total of 133 half-centuries. Shreyas Iyer (530 runs in 11 innings) had a strong 2023 World Cup campaign as well.