New Delhi, Nov 2026: Former India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, accompanied by his wife and children, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital to extend festive greetings on the occasion of Diwali.
Prime Minister Modi shared photographs of the meeting on social media platform X, offering a glimpse of the warm interaction with the cricketer and his family.
In his post, the Prime Minister wrote, “Deepawali ke mahual mei Ram and Saryu ka aagman hua hai. Isse Diwali ka vatavaran aur bhi paawan aur divya ho gaya hai,” suggesting that the arrival of Ram and Saryu had made the festive atmosphere even more sacred and divine.
Suryakumar, one of India's most prominent T20 batters, expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for his warm hospitality and conveyed his heartfelt Diwali wishes.
The meeting attracted considerable attention on social media, with cricket fans and supporters welcoming the interaction between the country's top political leadership and one of its leading sporting personalities.
Earlier this year, Suryakumar had praised Prime Minister Modi's emphasis on promoting sports, crediting the government's efforts with bringing about a significant transformation in India's sporting ecosystem. He said the changes were now “massive and visible on the ground”.
The cricketer pointed to improvements in sporting infrastructure, the availability of opportunities and, more importantly, a shift in the mindset towards pursuing sports as a professional career.
“Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has spoken very loudly and clearly about making India a sporting powerhouse, and if you see the change, it is clearly massive and visible on the ground,” Suryakumar had said.
Recalling the early stages of his cricketing journey, the 35-year-old said that infrastructure and opportunities were limited when he began playing, making it challenging for young athletes to pursue sports seriously.
“When I started playing cricket, there was very little infrastructure, so the opportunities were very limited,” he said.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar has also expanded his association with international sports. Last month, he began his tenure as the brand ambassador for Major League Baseball (MLB) India.
He took on the new role during MLB's inaugural MLBx Mumbai-3-on-3 baseball event held in Mumbai, where the Indian cricketer swapped his familiar cricket bat for a baseball bat.
The Diwali meeting with the Prime Minister comes amid Suryakumar's continued presence in India's sporting landscape, both as a leading cricketer and as an ambassador for the growing reach of sports.
