Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the words of wisdom he imparted with them after their 2017 World Cup final loss to England, stating that his motivation inspired them work even harder and finally won their maiden trophy.
On Wednesday night, Modi hosted the nation’s Women’s World Cup-winning team at his official home at Lok Kalyan Marg and engaged with them. India won their first-ever ICC trophy on Sunday evening as they overcame South Africa in the final of the global Cup at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium to be proclaimed global champions.
“Sir, I can still clearly recall our 2017 meeting. We hadn’t brought the trophy home at the time, but it is a great honor for us to present it to you today after all these years of hard work. It means so much to us that you have doubled our happiness today. Our hope today is that in the future, we continue to meet you again and again and keep capturing images with you and the team. We had just lost the final when we first met in 2017. However, you greatly inspired us at that time, sir; you taught us how to play and give it our all whenever the next chance presented itself ” Harmanpreet Kaur told the Prime Minister.
Listening to the skipper’s words, PM Modi said, “You all have really done something incredible. In India, cricket has evolved from a sport to a way of life. When cricket goes well, the whole of India feels good. And if things go even slightly wrong, the whole country gets shaken. Even when you lost three matches in a row, there was mocking, and everyone started attacking you.”
Smriti Mandhana, who was also part of the Indian group that saw Modi following the 2017 World Cup loss to England, stated that the squad came empty-handed when they last met him, but eventually managed to meet up to his expectations and brought the trophy home.
Mandhana further said that while they worked hard across all World Cup competitions, only to experience heartbreaks in the end, winning the trophy at home was ‘destiny,’ saying, “When we met you in 2017, we were unable to bring the trophy. I recall that we asked you about your expectations, and your response was really helpful.
“In the next 6-7 years, we tried a lot, but there were numerous heartbreaks at the World Cups. It was in our destiny that India’s first Women’s World Cup would be won at home. You have always been our inspiration. These days, we see women at the top of all fields, including ISRO. Whenever we see this, it inspires and motivates us to do well and do better and motivate other girls.
“Richa, you win every game you play, don’t you?” PM Modi remarked, highlighting Richa’s accomplishments during the exchange. Everywhere, Richa has an opportunity.
Richa Ghosh smiled shyly and said, “I don’t know, sir,” in response. Yes, we did win trophies while we were seniors, under-19s, and in the WPL.We used to hit sixes when we batted. I believe Smriti (Mandhana), Harry Di (Harmanpreet), and others have faith in us. We were trusted by the entire crew. They trust us in situations where you need more runs but have fewer balls, which is why I felt confident that “you can do it.”
Spinner Radha Yadav noted, “We lost three games,” when discussing the team’s camaraderie during the competitive round of the competition. The finest thing, though, was that we were defeated together. We were conversing and supporting one another. It was therefore truly pure. God gave us this trophy for that reason.
PM Modi questioned the crew how they had prepared for the big event after responding, “No, no, you’ve earned it with your hard work.”
All-rounder Sneh Rana told the PM about India’s historic victory, saying, “Sir, it’s a lot of hard work.” We also spent a lot of time discussing how to confront a batter with Avishkar, our bowling coach. As a result, we attempt to duplicate every tactic developed with the head coach, vice captain, and captain. Fortunately, it was successful.
“We can’t do it in many of the matchups. Nevertheless, we inspire ourselves to perform better the next time,” she continued.
When she and the rest of the World Cup-winning team visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his home, Indian cricketer Harleen Deol inquired about his beauty regimen. Everyone on the team, including the Prime Minister, started laughing during that wonderful time.
“Harman di always tells us that everyone should keep smiling,” Kranti Gaud said to the PM, introducing the team’s motto for the competition. We therefore made it a habit to make sure that everyone continued to laugh if anyone was even a little anxious. And when we saw each other smiling, it made us feel that we were all joyful together.”