"These boys have inspired younger generation": Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid (Pic: File Pic)

Rahul Dravid, who was Team India's head coach during the T20 World Cup 2024 recalled the last time Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the team was in Ahmedabad when the time was not that good. Dravid also hailed the Indian cricket team players saying that these players will inspire the younger generation.

The last meeting took place on November 19, 2023, when Team India fell short against Australia in the finals of the ODI World Cup 2023 at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. The defeat had left the entire nation heartbroken.

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During these heartbreaking moments, PM Modi came to cheer up the nation's most cherished and beloved group of boys. He went to each player one by one, shaking hands and hugging them, comforting them with his words, and asking them to keep their morale up.

Dravid expressed gratitude towards PM Modi for the opportunity to meet during their ODI 2023 World Cup final match against Australia in Ahmedabad, which they lost by 6 wickets, and said they are happy to interact again on the happy occasion.

"I would like to thank you for giving us this opportunity to meet you and during our match in Ahmedabad, you had come there as well, I agree, the time was not that good, so we are very happy that we could meet you today on this happy occasion," Rahul Dravid said during an interaction with PM Modi at Prime Minister's residence in Delhi.

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Dravid, who earlier stated that India skipper Rohit Sharma convinced him over a phone call to continue as the head coach until the T20 World Cup 2024, said the players' "fighting spirit" and "never-say-die attitude" will inspire the younger generation.

"I would just like to say that the fighting spirit that Rohit and all these boys have shown, the never-say-die attitude that they have shown, means a lot, the credit goes to the boys, they have worked very hard for this. It is a matter of great joy that these boys have inspired the younger generation..." Rahul Dravid added.

During the last over of the final, David Miller, known to deliver clutch, breakthrough and match-winning performances for the Proteas, attempted a big shot when 16 runs were needed from six balls. However, the ball found Suryakumar Yadav near the boundary, who plucked a remarkable catch, first catching the ball and putting it in the air, crossing the boundary and returning inside quickly to complete the catch. The catch was crucial to turn the match in India's favour and the South African batter was out for 21 runs. The Men in Blue captured their second ICC T20 World Cup title with a seven-run win.

India's premier batsman Suryakumar Yadav also spoke about his match-winning catch to dismiss the dangerous South African batsman David Miller in the finals of the T20 World Cup 2024 by saying that he was initially thinking of saving a boundary.

"At that moment I did not think whether I would be able to catch the ball or not and once the ball came in my hand, I had to pick it up and pass it to the other side... We have practised this thing a lot," Suryakumar Yadav said during his interaction with PM Modi.

On Thursday, after the Indian team left the national capital and arrived in Mumbai, the Rohit Sharma-led team kicked off the open-top bus parade from Marine Drive. Fans turned up in numbers, danced to the tune of India's success, and celebrated the arrival of the T20 World Cup-winning team.

During the victory parade, the "Men in Blue" were seen raising the trophy high in the air and appreciating the support the fans showed throughout the T20 World Cup 2024.

The love of the fans to see their team was clearly visible when some of them climbed on the tree and cheered for the team as the bus went past them.

Once the victory parade ended and the team arrived at the Wankhede Stadium, the Indian cricket players danced to the tunes of 'dhol' with fans cheering for them.

(With ANI Inputs)