Suryakumar Yadav on Saturday expressed his gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his motivational words following India's heart-breaking World Cup loss and said the team will continue to play with the same spirit going into next year's T20 World Cup.
India's dream of winning the ODI World Cup after 12 years came crashing down after they went down by six wickets against Australia in the final last Sunday.
In a heartwarming gesture, PM Modi visited the team's dressing room and consoled the players.
"Just after the World Cup final we were sitting in the dressing room and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi came in and gave us motivation," said Surya, who is currently leading the Indian team in the five-match T20 series against Australia.
"He met everyone and told us to move on, as it happens in sport and we will have to take it in our stride.
"It will take some time for us to get over it but his motivational words for those 5-6 minutes and meeting us is a big thing as he is the country’s leader. We listened to him carefully, spent time with him and will try to follow his suggestions." India will have another chance to claim an ICC event when the T20 World Cup takes place in the West Indies and the US next year.
"We will try to do well in the upcoming tournaments and there is an ICC event coming up next year and we will play with the same spirit as this time and hopefully we will win," said Surya.
The 33-year-old from Mumbai also thanked the fans for their support throughout the tournament.
"It has been just 4-5 days since the World Cup got over and all are disappointed, we are also disappointed. But it was great to see the support of our fans in India and all over the world.
"At the end of the day, it is a sport and it teaches us a lot of things. I want to say that keep supporting us."
Published - November 25, 2023 10:22 pm IST
