NEW DELHI: "It happens. Keep smiling, the country is looking up to you". That was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message to Team India when he visited their dressing room after the defeat against Australia in the ODI World Cup final on Sunday in Ahmedabad.
India lost the title clash by six wickets as Australia chased down the 241-run target with ease to win a record-extending sixth title.
Played at the world's largest cricket stadium named after PM Modi himself, the conclusion of the final saw some of the Indian players crying, including skipper Rohit Sharma who struggled to hold back his tears as his eyes welled up walking back to the dressing room.
In a video of PM Modi visiting the team in their dressing room, the Prime Minister could be seen greeting and motivating the players and head coach Rahul Dravid, saying "it happens" in sport and urging the players to be each other's strength in this hour.
The PM hugged fast bowler Mohammed Shami, while sharing a few words in Gujarati with native players Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah.
He went on to put an arm around a visibly sad Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma, and then held the hands of India's two iconic players, while trying to cheer them up.
Following the defeat, the Indian team was an emotional wreck, as head coach Rahul Dravid revealed after the match in his press conference.
“Of course, he (Rohit Sharma) is disappointed, as are many boys in the dressing room...There were a lot of emotions in that dressing room. It was tough to see as a coach because I know how hard these guys have worked, what they have put in, the sacrifices they have made," said Dravid, who was part of the team that lost the 2003 World Cup final to Australia.
PM Modi visits Team India dressing room
"It's tough to see...because you get to know these boys personally, you get to see the effort they put in, the hard work that we have put in over the last month, the kind of cricket we have played," said the batting legend.
India had won all their nine league matches to qualify for the semis as the top-placed team on the points table. They defeated New Zealand in the semi-final, but couldn't put it across the Aussies who were clinical in all three departments on the day that mattered the most.
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