“If the Prime Minister doesn’t encourage, who will?” - Kapil Dev on Narendra Modi visiting Indian dressing room after World Cup heartbreak 

Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev has hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gesture of visiting the Indian dressing room and consoling the players after their loss in the 2023 World Cup final to Australia.

The Men in Blue suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Aussies in the summit clash of the 2023 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19. India went into the final undefeated but failed to rise to the occasion on the big day.

Following India’s loss, PM Modi, who had attended the game, went to the Indian dressing and interacted with the dejected cricketers. There were mixed reactions to Modi’s gesture, but Kapil lauded the PM.

Speaking on the sidelines of the inaugural tee-off ceremony of Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational golf tournament in Gurugram, the former India captain was quoted as saying by PTI:

"If the Prime Minister doesn't encourage, who will? He is the No.1 man in the country and if he supports, it feels good.”

Earlier, cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad, who was part of Kapil’s 1983 World Cup-winning squad, had criticized PM Modi for visiting the Indian dressing room.

Taking to his social media handle, Azad posted:

“The dressing room is the sanctum sanctorum of any team. @ICC does not allow anybody to enter these rooms apart from the players and the support staff. PM of India should have met the team outside the dressing room in the private visitors area. I say this as a #sportsman and not #politician.”

Amid some criticism, a number of Indian cricketers, including Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, and Suryakumar Yadav, hailed PM Modi’s gesture of visiting the Indian team’s dressing room and boosting the players’ morale after the World Cup loss to Australia.

---

“Why can't cricketers play other sports?” - Kapil Dev

Shifting focus from cricket to golf, Kapil questioned why cricketers can’t play other sports. He also revealed that some former India cricketers like Murali Kartik, Madan Lal, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh are expected to be present on the final day of the Dev Grant Thornton Invitational golf tournament on December 3.

"Already the prize money has been doubled. It feels good that some former cricketers will be coming for the event. Why can't cricketers play other sports? If we can support other sport apart from cricket, why not? In India, there is not just one game," Kapil, who has taken to golf post retirement, opined.

Meanwhile, Kapil told the media that he would also request Sachin Tendulkar to attend the golf tournament.