Former India head coach and all-rounder Ravi Shastri has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Indian dressing room following their defeat to Australia in the final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Australia defeated hosts India by six wickets in the 2023 ODI World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19, claiming their record-extending sixth title.
India batted first and posted 240 runs on the scoreboard, thanks to half-centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. However, Australia opener Travis Head hit an exceptional century to guide the Aussies to a comfortable win, with Marnus Labuschagne contributing a gritty half-century.
After India’s loss, PM Modi visited the dressing room and met with all the players. The Indian Prime Minister consoled the grieving players and staff, which Shastri believes was an outstanding gesture.
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“I think it’s an outstanding thing simply because I know what a dressing room feels like, and I have been in that dressing room for more than seven years as a coach of India apart from many years as a cricketer. It is a gut-wrenching feeling, and when you are down, then you seem that you are out,” said Ravi Shastri.
He further stated that the Prime Minister’s visit to the dressing room has the power to uplift the spirits of the players, emphasizing that it was a special moment for the team.
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“When you get someone like the Prime Minister of the country coming and visiting the dressing room, it is something massive because it can lift the spirits of the players. This is no ordinary man walking in. When you have the Prime Minister of a country walking into the dressing room, it is special. I know what the players would have felt like; I know what I would have felt like if I was a coach of India,” Ravi Shastri added.
India missed out on an opportunity to clinch their third ODI World Cup title, losing the final to Australia for the second time in their history.
