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‘Keep it up…’: PM Modi hosts India's victorious Thomas Cup shuttlers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the Indian men's badminton team defeated Indonesia 3-0 to lift their maiden Thomas Cup title in Thailand's capital Bangkok. Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and doubles players Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy registered wins as the Indian camp stunned the 14-time champions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the members of the historic Indian team that won the Thomas Cup in Bangkok after stunning Indonesia 3-0. After congratulating the Indian team over telephone for their historic victory, the prime minister met them personally with the badminton team, which included shuttlers from the women's Uber Cup squad.
The prime minister shared a 28-minute video of his candid interaction with the champions on his Twitter handle. "I congratulate the whole team on behalf of the nation. This is not a small feat. You have done it. There was a time when we were so behind in these tournaments that no one would know here," said Modi.
“I can proudly say that no other athlete in the world can boast about this. Only we had the privilege of talking to you immediately after the match,” Kidambi Srikanth, who spearheaded the team's victorious campaign, told the prime minister, evoking applause from the fellow players. The prime minister asked Srikanth about his mindset while leading the team on a big forum like the Thomas Cup.
“Everyone was playing well, so my only aim was to bring all of us together as it was a team event and we had to play like a single unit. We used to have small discussions within ourselves about how to go about the game and I did not have to do much being a captain as everyone in the team had been doing good,” Srikanth replied.
During his interaction, the prime minister relived memory of the Thomas Cup campaign, saying India were able to hoist their flag in the competition after decades and it was not a small feat.
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"The 'Yes, we can do it' attitude has become the new strength in the country today. I assure you that the government will give all possible support to our players," said the prime minister.
Star shuttler Lakshya Sen gifted the PM Almora's famous 'bal mithai' after he expressed his interest to savour the taste of the sweets.
"The PM asked for Almora's bal mithai and I got it for him. It is touching that he remembers small things about players," Sen said.
"We feel very motivated whenever you meet us, interact with us. I hope I keep winning medals for India, keep meeting you, and keep getting bal mithai for you," the youngster added.
