Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Team India in their dressing room after the ICC World Cup Finals at Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on Sunday (November 19). Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the players and in a heartwarming gesture, encouraged Team India and applauded them for their efforts during the World Cup. However, the opposition leaders are attacking PM Narendra Modi for his visit to the dressing room of the players in Ahmedabad.
Kirti Azad said that the dressing room is the sanctum sanctorum of any team
Former Indian cricketer who was part of 1983 World Cup Winning Indian Team and also Trinamool Congress leader Kirti Azad said that the dressing room is the sanctum sanctorum of any team and the International Cricket Council (ICC) does not allow anyone to enter the dressing room.
'ICC does not allow anybody to enter these rooms'
Slamming the Prime Minister, he said, "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'
He further said, "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. Would PM Modi allow his supporters to come and console or congratulate him in his bedroom, dressing room or the toilet? Sportspersons are far more disciplined than politicians. Last, but not the least, the man and whose team did it for India, In 1983 Kapil Dev was also not invited."
Sanjay Jha also slammed the Prime Minister
Sanjay Jha also slammed the Prime Minister and said, "The dressing room is a sacrosanct place for cricketers; their right to personal and physical privacy, a place to express themselves freely, have their moments of peace. That was violated on November 19, 2023 as #TheGreatDisaster landed there with all TV cameras for publicity. Now tell me who is doing politics?"
'The Indian cricketers clearly look uncomfortable'
Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi took to her official social media account and said, "The Indian cricketers clearly look uncomfortable, having to deal with the loss and then have cameras thrust on them inside the dressing room for PMs team to record ‘pep talk’. Yeah you can troll this tweet as much as you’ll want."
Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja praised the Prime Minister
However, cricketers Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja praised the Prime Minister for his support to the team. Mohammed Shami said, "Unfortunately yesterday was not our day. I would like to thank all Indians for supporting our team and me throughout the tournament. Thankful to PM Narendra Modi for specially coming to the dressing room and raising our spirits. We will bounce back!"
'PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the dressing room yesterday was special'
Ravindra Jadeja, whose wife is a BJP MLA said, "We had a great tournament but we ended up short yesterday. We are all heartbroken but the support of our people is keeping us going. PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the dressing room yesterday was special and very motivating."
The Prime Minister was the right person at the right place
The Prime Minister was the right person at the right place when he visited the dressing room of Team India, as our players needed the motivation and the encouragement that was provided by PM Narendra Modi during his visit to the dressing room of Team India.
