Team India received a royal reception at St. James’s Palace in London on July 15, where both the men’s and women’s cricket teams had the honour of meeting King Charles III. The visit came a day after India’s narrow loss to England in the third Test at Lord’s.
Men’s team captain Shubman Gill described the meeting as “humbling” and praised King Charles for being kind, generous, and engaged during their conversation. “We didn’t expect that he’d watched the match, but he said he saw parts of the last session,” Gill told ANI.
According to Gill, King Charles specifically mentioned Mohammed Siraj’s dismissal on the final day of the Test, calling it “quite unfortunate.” Siraj had been bowled in unlucky fashion when the ball rolled back onto the stumps off Shoaib Bashir’s delivery. “We told him the match could have gone either way. Hopefully, we’ll have better luck in the next games,” Gill added.
Women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur also shared her thoughts on the royal interaction. “It was a great experience. The King was very friendly and spoke to everyone. It was our first time meeting him, and he gave us a lot of time,” she said.
Adding to the glamour of the day, Hollywood actor Idris Elba also greeted the Indian players, saying he noticed them in the garden and was excited to meet them.
India and England are set to clash again in the fourth Test in Manchester starting July 23.
