"Something massive because it can lift the spirits of the players" - Ravi Shastri lauds PM Narendra Modi for visiting Indian dressing room

Ravi Shastri recently hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for visiting the Indian dressing room after their painful defeat to Australia in the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad.

Modi was seen consoling several players and praising them for their performance throughout the tournament.

Speaking to ANI, Shastri felt the PM visiting the dressing room after such a heartbreaking loss lifts the players' spirits massively.

"When you get someone like the Prime Minister of the country coming and visiting the dressing room, it is something massive because it can lift the spirits of the players. This is no ordinary man walking in. When you have Prime Minister of a country walking into the dressing room is special. I know what the players would have felt like I know what I would have felt like you know if I was a coach of India," said Shastri.

Shastri added:

"I think it's an outstanding thing simply because I know what a dressing room feels like and I have been in that dressing room for more than seven years as a coach of India apart from many years as a cricketer. It is a gut-wrenching feeling and when you are down then you seem that you are out."

Batting first, the Men in Blue scored a below-par 240, thanks to Australia's magnificent bowling and fielding performance.

Despite a sensational opening burst by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami that reduced Australia to 47/3, India could not make further inroads. Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne stitched a 192-run fourth-wicket partnership to help Australia record a comprehensive six-wicket win.

Team India remains on two ODI World Cup titles, while Australia clinched their record sixth title.

The two teams are not in the middle of a five-match T20I series, with India holding a 1-0 lead following a thrilling two-wicket win.

---

Team India enjoyed a sensational unbeaten run in the 2023 World Cup leading upto the final

Indian players are all smiles during the 2023 World Cup.

Despite the painful ending in the final, Team India thrilled fans with a brilliant run through the 2023 World Cup.

Following an opening game victory over eventual champions Australia, Rohit Sharma's men brushed aside Afghanistan in their second outing. The much-anticipated India-Pakistan affair was a damp squib as the Indians decimated their arch-rivals by seven wickets.

Another comfortable win against Bangladesh followed before a then-top-of-the-table clash against New Zealand. India register a four-wicket against the Blackcaps to remain the lone unbeaten side in the tournament.

Wins by 100, 302, 243, and 160 runs against England, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and the Netherlands, respectively, helped India finish unbeaten in the league stage after nine games. The Asian giants overcame the Blackcaps in the semi-final by 70 runs to avenge the 2019 defeat before the stumble in the grand finale.

Nevertheless, India boasted the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker, with Virat Kohli amassing a record 765 runs and Mohammed Shami an incredible 24 scalps in only seven games.