India’s World Cup-winning women’s cricket team shared laughter and light moments with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence, where the PM playfully asked Player of the Tournament Deepti Sharma about her now-viral Lord Hanuman tattoo.
"I believe in him more than I believe in myself. Whenever I am in a difficult situation, I take his name and I feel like I can overcome it. I have so much belief in him," she responded.
"And you have written 'Jai Shree Ram' on your Instagram account (bio) as well?" Modi asked.
"Yes, I do," the all-rounder replied.
Star batter Smriti Mandhana recalled the 2017 meeting and how it inspired them. "When we came here in 2017, we couldn't get the trophy. But I remember we asked you a question about expectations and that answer still helps us a lot," Mandhana said.
"We tried a lot for the next 6-7 years. We have had a lot of heartbreaks in the World Cups. But this World Cup, I think it was destiny that the team's first Women's World Cup win would happen in India itself."
"In every field, the way girls have come... we see girls everywhere whether it is ISRO or something else. When we see all these things, it is an inspiration and motivation for us that we could do a better job and motivate," she added.
Jemimah Rodrigues highlighted the team's unity and resilience.
"The unity in this team is the best I have seen because whenever anyone was doing well, everyone was happy and everyone was clapping, as if they themselves had scored runs or taken wickets," she said.
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