NaMo bats for cricket diplomacy

New Delhi:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and the heads of other SAARC countries whose teams are playing in the World Cup to wish them luck for the showpiece event.

Modi took to micro-blogging site Twitter to share his sentiments. 

India take on Pakistan in its first cricket World Cup match in Adelaide on Sunday.

The Prime Minister tweeted, “Spoke to President @ashrafghani, PM Sheikh Hasina, PM Nawaz Sharif & President Sirisena. Conveyed my best wishes for the Cricket World Cup.”

Noting that five SAARC nations are playing and are excited about the World Cup, Modi said, “(I) am sure WC will celebrate sportsman spirit and will be a treat for sports lovers.” 

“Cricket connects people in our region and promotes goodwill. Hope players from SAARC region play with passion and bring laurels to the region,” he said.

 Australia and New Zealand will host the 11th ICC Cricket World Cup starting tomorrow and India and Pakistan will face each other in their opening game on Sunday. 

As the World Cup began on Thursday, the Prime Minister had tweeted individual wishes for each member of Team India, including skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Vice-Captain Virat Kohli. 

(Read also: Just do it, Namo tells Team India)