Indian Cricket Teams Meet King Charles III in London

Historic Meeting at St. James's Palace

On July 15, the captains of India's cricket teams, Shubman Gill and Harmanpreet Kaur, along with their respective squads and management, had the honor of meeting King Charles III at St. James's Palace in London.

Present at this significant gathering were Rajiv Shukla, Vice President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and Vikram Doraiswami, India's High Commissioner to the UK. The men's team is currently engaged in a five-match Test series in England, while the women's team recently celebrated a remarkable 3-2 T20I series victory over England and is set to begin a three-match ODI series in Southampton.

During a brief exchange with Gill, King Charles reflected on the dramatic conclusion of the third Test against England, which resulted in a narrow 22-run loss for India. He highlighted the pivotal moment when a delivery from Shoaib Bashir spun back and bowled Mohammed Siraj, to which Gill responded, 'It’s a game of cricket.'

King Charles also shared a light-hearted moment with vice-captain Rishabh Pant and star bowler Jasprit Bumrah, before meeting other members of the Indian squad, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and head coach Gautam Gambhir. Following the men's team, he interacted with the women's team, engaging in conversations with several players.

Prior to their royal meeting, the Indian team had the opportunity to meet British actor and musician Idris Elba. During his chat with Gill, Bumrah, and Pant, Elba expressed his admiration, saying, 'I’d say I’m a fan, but I don’t follow cricket as well as I should. I was just a little bowler, that’s all.' He also took time to connect with the women’s team.

After the photo session, King Charles conversed with Indian fast bowler Prasidh Krishna and batter Karun Nair, as well as uncapped left-arm bowler Arshdeep Singh.

Reflecting on the experience, Gill remarked, 'It was amazing. I think he was very kind and generous to invite us here, and it was a pleasure meeting the king. We had some really good conversations.' He recounted their discussion about the unfortunate ending of the third Test, noting that King Charles inquired about their feelings regarding the match.

Harmanpreet Kaur also shared her thoughts, stating, 'It was a very nice experience. We have visited England many times, but this was our first meeting with him, and he was very friendly. He asked us about our travel, and it was really nice to meet him.' She added, 'We have been playing good cricket, and I think we are getting many opportunities to express ourselves, so I’m really happy with how things are progressing.'

Amol Muzumdar, head coach of the women's team, expressed his gratitude, saying, 'It’s been a very humbling experience to come to the royal house and meet the king. This was our first time, and it was worth the trip from Southampton. The girls were really excited about this visit.'