Team India, under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, has finally earned an ICC trophy, in the form of their second T20 World Cup in 2024, after a wait of 17 years, as they got the better of South Africa, at the Kensington Oval, in Bridgetown, Barbados, by a seven-run margin.
The whole team is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi after being back from the West Indies, with the trophy. The BCCI has already announced prize money of INR 125 crore for the team, as they have planned the meet-up, where most of the players will make their appearance except Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, all of whom will fly to Zimbabwe for the five-match T20I series.
India became the first team, in the history of the competition, to end lift the trophy with an unbeaten run, as they won seven of their eight-game, with their Canada fixture ending as a washed-out due to persistent rain in Florida.
PM Modi spoke to India captain Rohit Sharma, coach Rahul Dravid, and Virat Kohli
The Indian team started the tournament on the back of their wins over Ireland, Pakistan, and the United States of America in the group stage, where their second game over the arch-rivals showed that they could make a comeback in the contest from any situation in the game.
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When they reached the ‘super eight’ stage of the tournament, quite dominantly, they blew away the Afghanistan and Bangladesh sides and showed how much they had changed their intent and template in this shortest format of the game.
India showed the same game plan against England too during the semifinal in Guyana, where there had been moments when they could have flattened out a bit, but they held their nerve for that moment.
Against South Africa, in Barbados, India were under early pressure having already lost three wickets in the powerplay. But they respected the conditions and situation of the game and never took guard off the paddle, as they managed to carry themselves to 176, which later turned out to be a match-winning total.
Using his ‘X’ handle, formerly known as Twitter, PM Modi shared his views on Rohit Sharma, and how has carried his team to a new dimension with an aggressive mindset.
‘You are excellence personified. Your aggressive mindset, batting and captaincy has given a new dimension to the Indian team. Your T20 career will be remembered fondly. Delighted to have spoken to you earlier today.’ India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed.
He also spoke to Virat Kohli, and congratulated him for his innings in the final, as he anchored the batting on a slow and low condition after the team was under pressure early on.
‘Glad to have spoken to you. Like the innings in the Finals, you have anchored Indian batting splendidly.’ PM Modi reflected on the former India captain. ‘You’ve shone in all forms of the game. T20 Cricket will miss you but I am confident you’ll continue to motivate the new generation of players.’
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Describing the contribution of the head coach Rahul Dravid, he spoke about his unwavering dedication and strategic insights in nurturing the talents.
‘Rahul Dravid’s incredible coaching journey has shaped the success of Indian cricket. His unwavering dedication, strategic insights, and nurturing the right talent have transformed the team.’ PM Narendra Modi remarked on Rahul Dravid. ‘India is grateful to him for his contributions and for inspiring generations. We are happy to see him lift the World Cup. Happy to have congratulated him.’
With Ravindra Jadeja taking retirement from this format in the shortest format of the game, he spoke about his stylish stroke play, spin, and superb fielding.