Gloomy November 19 To Jubilant July 4: Journey Of Team India's Two Meetings With PM Narendra Modi

The last time the Indian men's cricket team shared the room with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was the Ahmedabad dressing room filled with an atmosphere of gloom, heartbreak and distraught, but today, as the same team met PM Modi at his residence, it was a surreal display of pride and joy. The former meeting took place in the Indian team's dressing room on November 19, last year, as the Men in Blue after 10 dominating victories failed to cross the final hurdle against Australia in the ODI World Cup at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

The defeat had left the entire nation heartbroken, as India had not just lost a World Cup after such an unprecedented show of dominance, but it once again fell short on the home turf, against arch-rivals Australia, a team that had already given plenty of heartbreaks to India in the 75-something years of rivalry.

As the wait for the next ICC trophy -- after the Champions Trophy win in 2013 -- crossed a decade, the teary-eyed players left for their dressing rooms after post-match presentations, to completely express their emotions after once again despite giving their best, they fell short of the finishing line.

During these heartbreaking moments, PM Modi came to cheer up the nation's most cherished and beloved group of boys. He went to each player one by one, shaking their hands or hugging them, comforting them with his words, and asking them to keep their morale up.

He went to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of the country's biggest cricketing superstars, consoling them by saying "It happens, you have won 10 games straight" and urged them to keep each other's morale up.

The two legends didn't know then, they would be standing in a completely different position a few months later.

Fast