New Delhi, March 23 Words of encouragement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi have probably boosted India to win the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup, former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth wrote in a video posted on social media on Sunday. Srikkanth, the 1983 World Cup winner as part of Kapil's Devils, also said the biggest, greatest quality of PM Modi is that he makes everyone who meets him "feel important" and comfortable.
"Words of encouragement from the Prime Minister have probably boosted India to win the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup," said Srikkanth, nicknamed Chika, in the video he posted on his social media handle.
Srikkanth also recounted his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the years and recalled watching alongside him a T20I match between India and Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad.
"I met the Honorary Prime Minister Mr. Modi quite a few times. The greatest thing about him is when you go talk to him and you meet him, you will feel so comfortable. You are not overpowered. Oh, he is the Prime Minister. He is the Chief Minister. No, nothing like that," said the 65-year-old former India opener.
"He'll be very casual and if you want to discuss anything, if you have any thoughts, he'll make you feel very, very comfortable. So you won't feel scared," said Srikkanth. "The biggest, greatest quality he has is to make you feel comfortable and make you feel important," he said.
Srikkanth also recounted his interaction with the Prime Minister over WhatsApp and said he got an immediate reply from him.
"He'll make you feel very comfortable. And when he won the 2024 elections, I sent a message to his secretary. Congratulating him for his victory. Believe it or not, I got a reply. I didn't send a mail or a letter. I sent a what you call WhatsApp-type message to his secretary addressing the PM congratulating him for the 2019 win and the 2024 win. I got a reply for both".
Imagine he is sending me a reply after I just sent him only a message by WhatsApp. What a great man. These will all be my treasure in my life. The biggest, greatest quality. He has the ability to talk to you, make you feel comfortable, and make you feel important.
"Then once as a prime minister candidate, that is in 2014, you won't believe that was a big function in the University Auditorium in Chennai. We were invited to that function. And so I was just standing near the rope. He saw me and said, 'Srikkanthji aao, aao', and I went there to meet him. So imagine as the Prime Minister candidate, he's on the stage shouting, 'Srikkanth ji'.
"You should see, the whole stadium was clapping. That is the greatness of this man. There was a time when we watched the match. We watched the entire match T20 International between India and Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad. For almost three hours we sat and watched the match. He was telling me all his first stories, how it is and everything. He is a very, very interesting person," said Srikkanth, recalling that India lost that match but PM Modi did not worry about that and casually went to the dressing room to encourage the Indian team.
"He went and spoke to each and every cricketer and spoke to them personally. Telling him 'Don't worry, it's all fine'. And that too after losing the final, right when you're expected to win. That matters a lot as a cricketer. So, I believe that these are the small, small things that motivate people. And if you see after that match on November 2023 and in June 2024, India won the T20 World Cup. Now in March 2025, we have won the Champions Trophy.
"And probably those words of encouragement from the Prime Minister have probably boosted India to win the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup. So, these are the small boosts you get from the Prime Minister of the country. Because he is physically fit. That's why he is mentally very sharp, because of yoga and meditation," said Srikkanth.
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