On Monday, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi motivated students by citing as examples of the Indian cricketing stalwarts Rahul Dravid and VSS Laxman’s epic partnership at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata against Australia. He also gave the example of Anil Kumble bowling with a broken jaw.

During the ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ event for students getting ready for exams, the Prime Minister asked them to remember the India-Australia Test series in 2001 to emphasize his message about positive thinking.

The Indian PM said, “Our cricket team was facing setbacks. The mood was not very good. But in those moments can we ever forget what Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman did? They turned the match around.”

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Exhorting students, he also mentioned Kumble’s effort during the 2002 Antigua Test against the West Indies.

PM Modi further added, “Similarly, who can forget Anil Kumble bowling with an injury. This is the power of motivation and positive thinking.” He termed both Kumble’s effort and the 376-run partnership between Dravid and Laxman as the “power of motivation and positive thinking”, which helped the Indian team to stage an incredible turnaround and script a famous win after following on.

Reaching out to students across the country through the third edition of the ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ program at the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi, the Prime Minister told them not to get demotivated by temporary failures.

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Team India will now be locking horns with the Blackcaps in New Zealand for the complete tour. The tour will comprise of as many as 5 Twenty-20 Internations (T20Is), three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and a couple of Test matches. With the Indian squad for the T20I series already announced, the ODI and Test squads are yet to be announced.