Team India entered the final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on the back of 10 successive wins. The Men in Blue defeated all nine opponents comprehensively in the league stage before beating New Zealand in the first semi-final.

However, Rohit Sharma’s men were completely outplayed by Australia in the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (November 19).

After the heartbreaking loss, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Indian dressing room to cheer up the players.

In a video shared by the Prime Minister’s Office, PM Modi interacted with each player and lauded their effort throughout the tournament. He asked the team to ‘stick together’ while also adding that the country is with them.

PM Modi’s gesture impressed former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who said it must have lifted the spirits of the World Cup runners-up.

“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.”

“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 while speaking to ANI.

Talking about the World Cup 2023 final, Indian batters failed to get going on a slow pitch and managed to post only 240/10 in 50 overs after being asked to bat first.

In reply, the Aussies rode on Travis Head’s stunning hundred (137 off 120) and Marnus Labuschagne’s unbeaten half-century (58 off 110) to overhaul the target with 42 balls to spare.