Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee died on Thursday in 93 in New Delhi and the whole nation mourns the death of the BJP patriarch. The faithful BJP was admitted to AIIMS on 11 June after receiving the diagnosis of a kidney graft infection, a urinary tract infection and a low urine production. His condition deteriorated in the last 24 hours and he was put on the life support system after his condition became critical. Several people from the Indian sports club responded after hearing Vajpayee's downfall and expressed their grief. Recalling the icebreaking tour of Pakistan in 2004, the former manager of Team India, Ratnakar Shetty, said the series was only possible because of the efforts of the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "The tour only happened because of Vajpayee ji, he wanted to improve relations and cricket was a mode to do that. The BCCI decided to send the team after approval by his government," Shetty told PTI.
Bharat loses his shining Ratna … A great soul .. may his soul rest in peace pic.twitter.com/Vxq4b2MW9O
– Sourav Ganguly (@ SGanguly99) August 16, 2018 [19659004] Vajpayee asked the Sourav Ganguly unit to win hearts apart from matches, former team manager remembers.
The Indian team toured Pakistan after 19 years and had veterans such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble and Virendra Sehwag.
Shetty, the then team manager, remembers the meeting that the team had with Vajpayee prior to their departure.
"Before we left for Pakistan, we received a message from the PMO that the Prime Minister wanted to meet the team, he spent an hour with the team and talked to each member," he said.
"There was a navy band in the garden playing patriotic songs, we presented him with a signed bat and he also gave us a bat with a message:" Khel hi nahi, dil bhi jeetiye, shubhkaamnaye ( win hearts except matches, best wishes), "Shetty recalled. He said that Vajpayee told Saurav that it was an important tour and that the team members had to show their hearts.
"When we were about to leave, he said we had to listen to another song -" Hum honge kaamyaab "," Shetty said. "
He also said that after India won the ODI series, Vajpayee called Sourav to congratulate him.
"I had been a security visit to Pakistan prior to the tour, I saw people in Karachi with Vajpayee's photo & # 39; s and posters thanking him for the revival of cricket between the two countries. "That's what I said," said Shetty.
Indian team won the test series 2-1 and ODI & # 39; s 3-2. Virender Sehwag earned the nickname & # 39; Multan ka Sultan & # 39; after scoring 309 in the first test in Multan.
(With PTI Inputs)
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