Amol Muzumdar revealed an incident that took place when the Indian squad had the chance to meet King Charles during their visit to England in June this year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the winning squad at his residence in Lok Kalyan Marg on Wednesday, November 5, adding to the elation around India's historic Women's World Cup victory. Amol Muzumdar, the head coach, had an intriguing story to tell the Prime Minister that had everyone in splits.
Muzumdar said his players had the opportunity
to meet King Charles during their visit to the United Kingdom in June this year. However, only 20 people were allowed to attend the event due to strict protocol, which debarred a number of support staff members from taking part in the special occasion.
“In June, we were in England, where we met King Charles. But the protocol there allowed only 20 people to go. I told the support staff that I was really sorry they couldn’t join. They smiled and said, ‘Sir, we don’t want that photo. We want a photo with Modi ji on November 4 or 5’ — and today, that wish has come true,” Muzumdar said.
PM Modi congratulated the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian team for their performance during the eight-team tournament. The players presented the World Cup trophy to the Prime Minister, saying that the entire nation triumphed at the global competition and not just the squad.
In reply, PM Modi said that the Indian team had written a "golden chapter of Indian cricket. He also mentioned that this victory will serve as a motivation for generations to come.
India started the tournament with wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. However, their campaign got derailed due after a hat-trick of defeats against South Africa, Australia, and England. The Women in Blue defeated New Zealand in a virtual quarter-final clash to book their tickets to the knockouts.
In the semi-final, India registered a sensational record, chasing down a 339-run target. They followed it up with a 52-run win against South Africa to lift the World Cup for the first time.
