'Honoured' - Anil Kumble reacts after PM Narendra Modi cites his 'broken jaw' example to motivate students

One of the many things that sport teaches us is there is always the next time. No matter how dire the situation is, how badly you have performed, no matter how badly you have fallen, life always gives you a second chance. But, whether you nail that second chance that life offers depends on how you react after flunking the first one, which is easier said than done.

Very few people tend to not get bog down by the temporary set-backs. Most of us resign ourselves to reality, we find excuses behind our failures, we start playing the blame-game; even worse, we start looking down on ourselves. Which is why often we see people take outrageous steps in the wake of a temporary set-back.

The exam-season is here and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was back with the third season of ‘Pariksha pe Charcha’ program at the Talkatora Stadium. The Indian Prime Minister touched upon this very topic, urging kids from across the country to not get bog down by temporary setbacks. And, the Prime Minister couldn’t have used better examples than the ones he used to explain to the children how one should react in times of adversity.

The first example that Modi used was of that epic 376-run-partnership between Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman at the Eden Gardens against the Aussies back in 2001 where the duo displayed great temperament, skills, resilience, and character to bat throughout the day and lay the cornerstone for a famous win.

“Our cricket team was facing setbacks. The mood was not very good. But in those moments can we ever forget what Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman did? They turned the match around,” the PM had said as quoted by Hindustan Times.

Narendra Modi uses Anil Kumble’s example in “Pariksha pe Charcha”

And, the second and the most apt example of defiance, character, perseverance, the unrelenting zeal to contribute to the teams’ cause, that PM Modi used was of Anil Kumble, who came out to bowl with a broken jaw and claimed the wicket of Brian Lara in India’s famous win at Port of Spain in 2002.

“Similarly, who can forget Anil Kumble bowling with an injury. This is the power of motivation and positive thinking.” The Prime Minister had termed both Kumble’s effort and that epic Dravid and Laxman partnership as a symbol “power of motivation and positive thinking”. Overwhelmed by the fact that the PM chose his example to explain the importance of getting disheartened, Anil Kumble thanks Narendra Modi for the same on his Twitter account.

Here’s what Anil Kumble tweeted: