‘Dear Virat, Rohit, and Rahul...': PM Modi congratulates Team India after T20 World Cup victory
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally congratulated the Indian cricket team after their thrilling 7-run victory over South Africa to clinch the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. During a phone call on Sunday, PM Modi commended skipper Rohit Sharma for his exceptional captaincy and lauded his illustrious T20 career, which he announced he would be retiring from.
Dear @ImRo45,
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 30, 2024
You are excellence personified. Your aggressive mindset, batting and captaincy has given a new dimension to the Indian team. Your T20 career will be remembered fondly. Delighted to have spoken to you earlier today. pic.twitter.com/D5Ue9jHaad
The Prime Minister also praised Virat Kohli for his pivotal innings in the T20 World Cup final and his immense contributions to Indian cricket. Notably, both Kohli and Sharma have decided to retire from T20 internationals following this World Cup triumph.
Dear @imVkohli,
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 30, 2024
Glad to have spoken to you. Like the innings in the Finals, you have anchored Indian batting splendidly. You’ve shone in all forms of the game. T20 Cricket will miss you but I am confident you’ll continue to motivate the new generation of players. pic.twitter.com/rw8fKvgTbA
PM Modi extended his appreciation to Hardik Pandya for his economical last over, which was crucial in sealing the victory. He also highlighted Suryakumar Yadav's remarkable fielding, particularly his critical catch off David Miller in the penultimate over.
Expressing gratitude to head coach Rahul Dravid, PM Modi acknowledged his significant contributions to Indian cricket. Dravid's tenure as head coach concluded with this World Cup win, and the BCCI will now be seeking a successor.
Rahul Dravid’s incredible coaching journey has shaped the success of Indian cricket.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 30, 2024
His unwavering dedication, strategic insights and nurturing the right talent have transformed the team.
India is grateful to him for his contributions and for inspiring generations. We are… pic.twitter.com/8MKSPqztDV
The call followed a video message PM Modi posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, where he thanked the Men in Blue on behalf of 1.4 billion Indians for winning the World Cup and capturing the hearts of the nation.
In separate posts on X, PM Modi specifically thanked Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rahul Dravid. He wrote, "Spoke to the Indian 🏏 team and congratulated them on their exemplary success at the T20 World Cup. They have shown excellent skill and spirit throughout the tournament. Each player’s commitment is very motivating. 🏆"
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MP cruise boat tragedy: Search ops expanded to trace four missing passengers
Jabalpur (PTI): Army divers and disaster response teams on Saturday expanded their search at Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh to locate a man and three children still missing after the cruise boat tragedy that claimed nine lives two days ago, officials said.
With 28 of the 41 identified passengers onboard the ill-fated cruise boat rescued safely, police are preparing to register an FIR in connection with the accident that occurred at the reservoir in Jabalpur district on Thursday evening, they said.
The search radius has been expanded to 5 km in the backwaters of the Bargi Dam, located downstream of the Narmada River, area sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Anjul Ayank Mishra told PTI.
Nine people drowned in the incident, while 28 were rescued, and efforts are ongoing to trace the missing persons, he said.
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According to the police, more than 200 rescuers, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, began the search operation at 5 am on Saturday to trace Kamraj, an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, his son Tamil (5), Vijay Soni (6) and Mayuram (5).
Mishra said that an inquest case has been registered and the post-mortem of nine deceased persons has been completed.
"Our priority is to search for the missing persons. We will soon register an FIR," he said.
Investigators have said that CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the ill-fated boat, and the names of 41 persons, who boarded the vessel, have been ascertained so far.
Collector Raghvendra Singh confirmed that a search is underway for four missing persons.
The rescue operation, being carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local divers, was briefly affected around 9 am due to strong winds.
The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the incident and dismissed three crew members after survivors alleged negligence and safety lapses, including failure to provide life jackets.
The government also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state.
The boat, operated by the state tourism department, sank during a sudden storm around 6 pm on Thursday, and the wreckage was retrieved from the dam water on Friday, after the rescuers confirmed that there were no more bodies inside.
Eyewitnesses have said that strong winds made the water choppy, prompting passengers to raise an alarm and ask the crew to steer the vessel towards the riverbank.
A survivor alleged negligence by the crew and described a last-minute scramble for life jackets.
