Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak linked the return of cricket to the Olympics with the growing global influence of India after a long gap of a century and also appreciated the ability of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI). Cricket has been included in the list of Los Angeles Olympics 2028 events for the first time since 1900.
Sunak, who arrived in Ahmedabad to watch the IPL finals between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Punjab Kings, said, “This is a sign of India’s impact in the 21st century. India’s passion, India’s taste has a global influence. Why has cricket returned to the Olympics for the first time in 100 years? Because of India. ,
Cricket’s Murid Sunak spoke about the changes from the IPL in the last few years. He said, “IPL has changed cricket. I think any cricketer whatever, he wants to play in the IPL at any stage of his career. It has also been very good for women’s cricket because a lot of girls are playing in the Women’s Premier League. ,
He gave an example of a recent performance of players like Jacob Bethel while talking about the impact of IPL’s England cricket. Sunak said, “Look at the England players who are playing in it and they are getting better. I was watching England vs West Indies ODI at Edgbaston last week. Jacob Bethel played a brilliant innings. The IPL has improved them as a cricketer. ‘
Bethel, who played for RCB in the IPL, scored 82 runs in 53 balls in England’s big 238 -run win in the first ODI of the three -match series. RCB, RCB veteran Virat Kohli and could not hide their attachment to the franchise. He wants RCB’s IPL Trophy’s 18 -year wait to end. He said, “I give you a hint ‘E Sala Cup Namde”, hopefully 16 years ago when I proposed Akshata in Kannada, my pronunciation has improved since then. However, to be honest, I don’t know what I said, she understood it. ,
Sunak said, “But I am married to a family in Bengaluru, so I am supporting RCB. We went to watch the match together a long time ago. Akshata’s mother and father gave me this shirt after marriage which is very good. “Sunak’s involvement with Bengaluru is due to his wife Akshata who is the daughter of Infosys founder NR Narayan Murthy and entrepreneur Sudha Murthy.
Talking about his favorite player, he said, “I am a big fan of Virat Kohli. He is a great player. I have a bat with his signature that India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar gave me as a Diwali gift in Downing Street when I was the Prime Minister. It is fantastic. “Cricket is a very helpful diplomatic weapon,” Sunak said. Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanies and me have always had a very good conversation on cricket, especially during the Ashes series, once this debate was a bit sharp but was friendly.
Expressing hope, he said, “The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and me also had a very good conversation on cricket before starting work. The Indian team is coming to play England in this session. This is going to be a magnificent tour. I think this will strengthen the partnership and friendship between the two countries.
