‘Under Captain Modi, net practice begins early, goes on till late’

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday sought to supplement his observations on “leadership” with cricketing analogy in the presence of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and ex-England cricketer Kevin Pietersen. “Under Captain Modi (referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi), the net practice starts at 6 a.m. which goes on till late… and he expects wickets when a chance is given,” Jaishankar said while describing the functioning of the Union Cabinet under PM Modi. He said this while addressing the Raisina Dialogue during a panel discussion titled “Turbulence, Temperament, And Temerity: Leadership In The Age Of Uncertainty”. It was not, in fact, a mere coincidence that both Blair and Pietersen to a country which is the birthplace of the Gentleman’s Game. When asked about India being a bigger economy than the UK, Jaishankar referred to the popular movie ‘RRR’. He said: “The most popular film in India last year was ‘RRR’. It has to do with the British era. The fact is, when you have such a complex history, there would be a downside to it, there would be suspicions, unresolved problems.”