In a “royal” moment, the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams were hosted by King Charles III at St. James’s Palace on Tuesday, marking a historic occasion during the ongoing England tour. India are currently trailing 2-1 in the 5-match series, with the next stop in Manchester. While such high-profile receptions are rare, what caught everyone off guard was the monarch’s deep knowledge, not just of cricket, but of the players themselves.
King Charles asked about Akash Deep’s sister’s health & more
From recalling the dying moments of the Lord’s Test to enquiring about Mohammed Siraj’s dismissal and Akash Deep’s sister’s illness, King Charles left players and officials alike stunned. As you all know, Akash Deep dedicated his match-winning ten-wicket haul at Edgbaston to his sister, who is recovering from cancer.
“It was a very historic occasion that both our men’s and women’s teams were invited today by King Charles and met them very well in the Palace. Players are very happy because he asked all personal details of each player. He asked Saikia ji and me about whether Arun Jaitley is my friend, what happened to him, and when I told him that he had died, he asked me to pay condolences to his family. He also asked about Akash Deep’s sister’s illness,” BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla said after the meeting.
“He had found out so many details. He sounded like a gentleman, and it did not seem we were talking to the King of England. There is a lot of humility in him and team is very happy to meet him.”
Captain Shubman Gill echoed the sentiment, noting how the King spoke specifically about India’s collapse at Lord’s. “It was amazing. I think he was very kind and generous to be able to call us here, and it was a pleasure meeting the king, and we had some really good conversations.“
The Indian captain elaborated on his conversation with the King: “Yes, he did tell us that the way our last batsman got out was quite unfortunate. The ball was rolling on the stumps, and he was just asking us how we felt after that, and we told him it was an unfortunate match for us. It could have gone either way, but hopefully we will have better luck in the next games.”
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