Here’s the entire transcript of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with the T20 World Cup-winning team, translated from Hindi via Google Translate

Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Friends! Welcome to all of you and it is a matter of joy for us that you have filled the country with enthusiasm and celebration. And you have won over all the hopes and desires of the countrymen. Many congratulations to you from my side. Usually I work late in the night in the office. But this time the TV was on and the file was also running, I was not able to concentrate on the file. But you people have shown your team spirit brilliantly, you have also shown your talent and patience. I could see that there was patience, there was no hurry. You people were full of great self-confidence. So, many congratulations to you from my side, friends.

Rahul Dravid: First of all, I want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to meet you and when we lost that match in Ahmedabad in November, you came there too when we were not having a good time. So we are very happy that we can meet you today on this happy occasion. I will just say that Rohit and all these boys have shown a lot of fighting spirit, the never say die attitude they have shown in many matches. Even reaching the finals, that means the boys deserve a lot of credit for it. The boys have worked very hard. It is a matter of great happiness that these boys have inspired the young generation that will come. These boys have grown up a lot by watching the victory in 2011. So, seeing the performance of these boys, I am sure that the boys and girls in our country have been inspired a lot in every sport. So I want to thank you and I just want to congratulate these boys.

Prime Minister Modi: Congratulations to you guys. You can give a lot to the youth of the country in the coming times. You have given them victory, but you can inspire them a lot. You can guide them in every small thing. You have an authority in yourself now. Why is Chahal serious? I guessed it right. Any person from Haryana is happy in every situation, he finds happiness in everything.

Rohit I want to know your feelings behind this moment. The ground may be any place, the soil may be from anywhere, but the life of cricket is on the pitch. And you kissed the life of cricket. Only an Indian can do this.

Rohit Sharma: I just wanted to remember that moment of victory and savour it forever. Because we won on that pitch after playing on it, because we all waited for it so long, worked so hard. Many times, the World Cup came very close to us, but we could not move ahead. But this time, because of everyone, we were able to achieve it, so that pitch meant a lot to me because whatever we did on that pitch, we did it on that pitch, so it just happened to me on that movement. We, the whole team, worked so hard for this thing and that hard work paid off that day.

Prime Minister Modi: Every citizen of the country must have marked it, but Rohit, I saw two extreme things. I could see emotions in it. [Including] the dance when you were going to receive the trophy.

Rohit Sharma: Sir, the reason behind it was that it was such a big moment for all of us, we all were waiting for this for so many years. So the boys told me that you should not just go like this, do something different.

Prime Minister Modi: So was this Chahal's idea?

Rohit Sharma: Chahal and Kuldeep…

Prime Minister Modi: Well! Your journey of recovery is difficult. As a player, it was probably your old trust, you took it forward. But at such a time, someone should recover, because at that time you had also made many posts, I used to see your posts that today you have done so much, today you have done so much, my colleagues used to tell me this.

Rishabh Pant: First of all thank you for calling us here. The normal thought behind this was Sir because I had an accident one and a half years ago and I was going through a tough time. I remember that very well because your call came, Sir, to my mother. So a lot of things were going on in my mind. But when your call came, Mummy told me that Sir said there is no problem. Then I mentally relaxed a bit. After that, during the recovery time, I used to hear from people around whether I will ever play cricket or not. So, especially for wicketkeeping, they used to tell me that, yaar a batsman can still do it, he will bat, but will he do wicketkeeping or not?. So for the last one and a half to two years, Sir, I was thinking that I have to come back to the field and try to do better than what I was doing. Not for anyone else but to prove myself, I have to dedicate myself and say that I have to play international cricket again and see to it that India wins.

Prime Minister Modi: Rishabh, when you were recovering, I talked to your mother and I told her two things. First, I had discussed with the doctors. When I took their opinion, I said that if he has to be taken out, then tell me. They said we will think about it. But I was surprised that your mother had faith. It seemed when I was talking to her, I was not acquainted with her, I had never met her, but it seemed as if she was giving me assurance. It was amazing. So I felt that the one who has got such a mother will never fail. This thought came to my mind, it came at that time. And you have proved it by doing it. And the biggest feeling I felt when I talked to you was that ‘no one is to blame, it is my fault’. This is a very big thing, otherwise anyone would have given any excuse, there was a pit, it was so and so; you did not do this. ‘This was my mistake.’ Maybe this is your openness towards life and I observe small things and learn from friends and everyone. So I tell you the truth – your life, the patience of the country in general and the players in particular is definitely a great divine linkage. And I know how tough the coaching of wicketkeepers is. They make you stand for hours holding your thumb. But you have won that battle, so you have done a great job. Congratulations to you.

Rishabh Pant: Thank you Sir.

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Prime Minister Modi: There are ups and downs, but a long penance comes in handy at the right time. The penance you have done in sports has shown its true colours when needed. Virat, tell me, this time your fight was full of ups and downs.

Virat Kohli: First of all, thank you very much for inviting us all here. And this day will always be in my mind. Because in this entire tournament, I was not able to make the contribution that I wanted to and at one time I also told Rahul bhai that I have not done justice to both myself and the team till now. So he told me that ‘When the situation comes, I am confident that you will perform.’ We had this conversation and when we went to play, I first told Rohit – because the way my tournament went, I did not have that much confidence – when I was going to play that I would be able to bat the way I wanted to. So when we went to play, I got three fours in the first four balls, so I went and told him, I said, ‘Yaar, what a game is this, one day it seems that not even a single run will be scored and one day you go and everything starts happening.’ So there I felt that – and especially when our wickets fell – that I have to surrender myself to that situation. What is important for the team at this time, that was the only thing I was focused on and I felt that I was put in that zone. Now, it is difficult to explain why I was put in that zone. But I felt that I was completely trapped in that moment. And later I understood that whatever is meant to happen, happens in some way or the other. So this was bound to happen with me, with the team. If you look at the match, the way we won the match in the end, the situation that was there, we lived each and every ball in the end, from where the match turned and what was going on inside us, we cannot explain! In each and every ball. At one time we had lost hope, after that Hardik took a wicket. After that, ball by ball, that energy was built again. So, I am happy that I was able to contribute to such a big day for the team after a difficult time. And the way our whole day went and the way we won, like I said, I will never forget that in my life. So I was just happy that I was able to take the team to a place where we could try and win the match.

Prime Minister Modi: Everyone was feeling this, Virat… Everyone says, yaar you will do it. That also becomes a driving force in a way. But what was the immediate reaction from the family, when you were stuck at 75?

Virat Kohli: The good thing was, Sir, here the time difference was a lot so I didn’t talk to my family much, Mummy takes more tension. But the only meaning was that whatever I was trying to do, it was not happening. So I felt that when you try so hard from your side, then you think that I will do it, then somewhere your ego comes to the fore and then the game goes away from you. So that was what I needed to leave; and like I said the situation of the game became such that there was no place for me to keep my ego above everything. I had to keep that aside for the team. And then in the game, when I respected the game, the game respected me back that day.

Prime Minister Modi: Many congratulations to you.

Prime Minister Modi: Paaji…

Jasprit Bumrah: Sir, whenever I bowl for India, I bowl at very crucial stages, whether it is a new ball or…

Prime Minister Modi: Do you go to the field after eating idli?

Jasprit Bumrah: No, no, whenever the situation is tough, I have to bowl in that situation. So I feel very good when I am able to help the team and win the match from any tough situation, then I get a lot of confidence and I carry that confidence even going forward. And especially in this tournament, there were many situations when I had to bowl tough overs and I was able to help the team and win the match.

Prime Minister Modi: As much as I have seen cricket, after 90, no matter how much the mood for victory is there, even if everything is there, the batsman becomes a little serious after 90. Similarly, if the last over is there, if victory or defeat depends on one ball, then how much tension would there be! In such a situation, how do you handle yourself?

Jasprit Bumrah: If I think that we will lose or I have to do something extra in the match, then I will probably make a mistake, I will get nervous, if I look at the crowd or look at other people nervously, then I might make a mistake. So I focus at that time, think about myself and what I can do. And when I have done well in the past, what have I done when I have been able to help the team. So I try to remember all those things that how I have helped the team in good days. So I try to give my best by remembering all those things.

Prime Minister Modi: But this must be very stressful, yaar; the day is not complete without parathas.

Jasprit Bumrah: No, Sir, in the West Indies, we were not even getting idlis and parathas. We were managing with whatever we had. But the scenario was very good, we were travelling back-to-back, so as a team, the tournament went very well. We won the World Cup for the first time, I had never experienced so many emotions, so I am very proud and I have never experienced a better feeling than this.

Prime Minister Modi: You have done a great job. The nation is proud of you. It makes us proud.

Prime Minister Modi: Yes, Hardik tell me.

Hardik Pandya: First of all, Sir, thank you for inviting us. I mean, whatever I said during the interview, I said it because the last six months have been quite entertaining for me, with a lot of ups and downs. Where I went to the ground and the public booed and many things happened and I always believed that if I will answer, I it will be through my game and never with my words. And I mean I was speechless at that time also and I am speechless even now. Because whatever you say, you always keep fighting. I always believed in life that you keep fighting in the battle and never leave the ground…. So I believed, Sir that I will stay, I will work hard and you know the support of all the team, players, captain, coach was very good. And I just prepared, prepared. And you know God gave me such luck, I got a chance in the last over.

Prime Minister Modi: No, that over of yours became historical but what did you say to Surya?

Hardik Pandya: When Surya took the catch, our first reaction was that we all celebrated. Then we realised that we should have asked Surya whether the catch was perfect? So first we took confirmation, then we celebrated, but, he said no-no, I took a game changing catch, from the tension that we were in, our mood changed to happiness.

Prime Minister Modi: Yes Surya.

Suryakumar Yadav: I was lost Sir! Sir, at that moment, I was just thinking about the catch. I mean I didn’t think about whether I would catch the ball or not. I was thinking of pushing the ball in. One run, two runs, maximum because the wind was blowing like that. And once it came in my hand, then I just had to pick it up and throw it to the other side, then I saw that Rohit was very far away at that time. I hurled it and it landed in my hand. But we had practised this thing a lot already. I thought about one thing that I do bat, but at the end of an over, what else can I contribute to the team, in fielding or something else.

Prime Minister Modi: Do you also practice catching again and again?

Rahul Dravid: Surya is saying so much, he has taken 185, 160 such catches before in practice.

Prime Minister Modi: Really?

Suryakumar Yadav: Total means Sir, since the start of the tournament and when I was coming back from IPL, I had taken a lot of such catches but I did not know that God would give me such an opportunity to take catches at such a time, but I had practiced this before, that is why I was a little calm in that situation and I knew that such a situation had come before. But no one was in the stands at that time, this time there were a few more people at the stands. But it felt very good to be in that moment…

Prime Minister Modi: I tell you that I cannot stop myself from praising it… because firstly the mood of the entire country… the ups and downs were very tense and on top of that this incident changed the entire situation… this becomes a very big thing in itself and if this gets associated with your life then you are a very, very lucky person friend…

Suryakumar Yadav: I have got another star sir… I am feeling good now…

Prime Minister Modi: Many congratulations to you!

Suryakumar Yadav: Thank you sir!

Prime Minister Modi: A statement of your father is being discussed repeatedly in the whole country. When he was asked, your father's answer was very heart touching... He said look, first the country, then the son, this is a very big thing! Yes Arshdeep, tell me...

Arshdeep Singh: Sir, thank you, first of all you gave me a chance to meet you and after that I have a great feeling about cricket Sir… I feel very good that we have won this tournament and in bowling, as I told you earlier, it feels very good when Jassi bhai bowls from the side. He puts a lot of pressure on the batsman and the batsman tries (to score runs off) me, so I get a lot of wickets and the other bowlers have also bowled very well, so I would say that I get the fruits of that and I was enjoying it a lot, I was getting wickets and the credit goes to the whole team.

Prime Minister Modi: When Axar used to play in school, I once got a chance to give him a prize.

Axar Patel: in 8th standard…

Prime Minister Modi: I myself have no connection with the world of sports... but whenever there is any activity in the world of sports, my mind gets involved with it.

Axar Patel: This was the reason for that catch, their partnership was intact, a wicket fell in the first over, and none after that and when Kuldeep was bowling, the wind was blowing in the same direction where I was standing, so I was standing and when he hit the shot, I thought it would be an easy catch but it started going so fast with the wind, so first I was thinking that I will catch it with my left hand but when the ball went, I said it is going to the right hand, then I jumped at that time and I heard such a loud sound in my hand at that time, then I realised that I have caught it and I think most of the time, 9 times out of 10, such catches are missed but I was lucky that at this time in the World Cup, when the team needed it, I took that catch…

Prime Minister Modi: So Amul milk is working?

(laughter)

Kuldeep Yadav: Thank you so much sir.

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Prime Minister Modi: Should we say Kuldeep or Deshdeep?

Kuldeep Yadav: Sir, first of all I am from my country, so obviously Sir… I enjoy playing all the matches for India, I enjoy it a lot and I feel very proud too and my role in the team is also that of an attacking spinner. So I always bowl in the middle overs, so the captain and coach's plan is always the same and my role is also that take wickets in the middle overs, so I always try to take wickets in the middle overs and the fast bowlers give a good start, take one or two wickets, it becomes a little easy to bowl in the middle overs. So it feels very good, I am feeling very good. I have played three World Cups and this was a good opportunity, I am very happy to lift the trophy Sir…

Prime Minister Modi: So Kuldeep, how dare you make the Captain dance?

Kuldeep Yadav: I did not make the Captain dance!

Prime Minister Modi: Hey, don't you want that on this?

Kuldeep Yadav: I told him to do this... when he said that he doesn't do anything, I told him that he can do it. But he didn't do as I told him...

Prime Minister Modi: Meaning there is a complaint?

Prime Minister Modi: The youngest player in 2007 and captain of the victorious team in 2024 … what is your experience?

Rohit Sharma: Sir, to be honest, when I first joined the team in 2007, we did a tour of Ireland where Rahul bhai was the captain. Then after that we went straight to South Africa for the World Cup. So we won the World Cup there. So when we came to India for the first time after winning the World Cup, we were on our way to Mumbai, it took us five hours to reach Wankhede Stadium from the airport. So after 2-3 days, I realised that winning the World Cup is quite easy. But after that World Cups kept coming, many times we came close but could not win. In this World Cup, I can say one thing with great confidence that there was a lot of desperation and hunger among the people when we went from here to the West Indies… there were a lot of difficulties there when cricket was being played for the first time in New York, cricket had never been played there before, the grounds were not good for practice. But none of the boys were focused on that, they were only focused on one thing, how will we play the final in Barbados? So that means it feels good to captain such a team where everyone has the same goal of how to win and when we see so many smiles on people's faces and people are enjoying with each other, roaming the streets till late night carrying the Indian flag, it feels very good and this group of ours here, our aim is also to inspire the next generation like when Rahul Bhai and Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, Laxman, all these people used to play... we all used to watch them, so they have inspired all of us boys, but we also have a responsibility that how can we inspire the future generation and perhaps with this World Cup, I am sure that the coming generation will definitely have that enthusiasm.

Prime Minister Modi: Rohit, are you always so serious?

Rohit Sharma: Sir, actually only boys can tell this.

Prime Minister Modi: Winning all the matches and this time your group was also big. Many new countries are also joining now and it is true in cricket that the one who plays comes after working so hard, he probably does not realize that he has done such a big job because he has been doing it continuously. There is an impact on the country, but Indian cricket has a specialty. India's cricket journey has been very successful. It has now started working as an inspiration in other sports as well. And sports people also think that if it can happen in cricket, then why can't it happen with them? That is, this is a great service being done through you. If we have to take ourselves and the country forward, we have to create the same spirit in all sports that we will hoist our flag in the world and I am seeing that today talent is being found in the country and from small villages… talent is being found from tier-2 and tier-3 cities… earlier, big cities, big clubs used to come from there only. Now it is not like that, you see, more than half of the people in your team have come from small places. This is actually the effect of victory and we get its results for a long time. The statement of the Afghanistan Minister was very interesting. They got the opportunity to play with South Africa in the last, this trip was a journey of great success for them, but he gave the credit to India. He said that if the credit for the progress of Afghanistan's cricket team goes to anyone, then it is because of the people of India who prepared our children.

Prime Minister Modi: You people have made Rahul 20 years younger.

Rahul Dravid: No, the credit goes to these boys because we… I always say that I have been a player and I have also been a coach. We can only support these boys. I have not scored a single run in this entire tournament, have not taken a single wicket, have not taken a single catch. We can only support and not just me, we have a whole team, a support staff team, we have other coaches. I believe that the team of many support staff works very hard, they work and we can only support these boys. The pressure situation, when Virat or Bumrah or Hardik or Rohit have to score runs, everyone here… when these guys do it, we can only support them, we can give them whatever they want and the whole credit goes to them, they gave me such a happy opportunity, I mean I am just thankful to these boys who gave me such a good time, a very good experience, so I would also like to say that when our team spirit was very good in this tournament, then in this team, out of the eleven boys who played, four boys were also sitting out. In this, Mohammad Siraj played the first three matches, in the USA we were playing an extra fast bowler. So he played only 3 matches in this tournament and there were three such boys in our team who did not play even a single match. Sanju didn't play a single match, Yuzvendra Chahal didn't get to play a single match and Yashasvi Jaiswal didn't get to play a single match but the spirit they had, the enthusiasm they had, they never looked down after seeing things from outside and that was a very important thing for us and our team and it is a very important thing when you play such tournaments that the attitude of the boys sitting outside, their spirit, I praise them a lot as well.

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Prime Minister Modi: I liked that as a coach you pay attention to the entire team and I think that whoever hears these 3-4 sentences of yours will feel that it is possible that we have not seen some people on the field but they also add colour to the field, they connect the field and I have seen in cricket that everyone has some contribution or the other. Such a big team spirit is required only then it happens. But Rahul, I would definitely like to know that now in 2028 when the Olympics will be held in the USA, cricket has already got a place in the Olympics and I think that now people will pay more attention to it than the World Cup. If the Government of India as such or the Cricket Board as such or you people apply your mind a little and ask what does it mean to prepare for the Olympics? How to do it? If we have to think seriously about it, then what will be your reaction?

Rahul Dravid: No, Modiji, playing in the Olympics is not an opportunity that a cricketer actually gets because cricket will be played in the Olympics for the first time in 2028… So I think it will be a very big thing for the country and for the cricket board, for the cricketers to do very well in that tournament and the other thing, as you said earlier, is to be with other sports, with them because there are so many great players in those sports too. They bring so much pride to our country and this Olympics is such a big event, cricket being in it is a matter of pride for cricket. And I am hopeful that whoever will be heading the board at that time, our BCCI, will make full preparations for that tournament. Hopefully, I am hopeful that there will be many boys from this team… I am hopeful that there are many young boys like Rohit, Virat.

Prime Minister Modi: Yes, there will be many people by 2028! There will be many people by 2028!

Rahul Dravid: So I am hopeful that these boys will come to win the gold and there cannot be a greater joy and happiness, so we should work hard on it…

Prime Minister Modi: I can see that when some people see tears of joy after a victory, then one realises how difficult the moments of defeat must have been. People are not able to feel the pain a player has to go through in those moments of defeat. Because he has come after doing so much penance and is left with just one step. And when he achieves victory, his happiness shows how difficult the moments of defeat must have been and I saw all this that day, I myself felt it and also had the confidence that we will overcome it and today I feel that you have done it. You people deserve many congratulations!