When the Indian women’s cricket team met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to congratulate them for their “spectacular resilience and comeback” in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, cricketer Harleen Deol jokingly asked him what his skincare routine is and commented that he “glows a lot.” The team and officials laughed, as did the Prime Minister, at the light-hearted question on Wednesday.

PM Modi credits country’s love for his glow

“I never thought about this much,” PM Modi replied, smiling as the room broke into laughter. When all-rounder Sneh Rana suggested that it was the love of the Indian people that made him glow, Modi agreed: “Of course it is. It is a huge source of strength. I have spent lots of years in the government. Despite all this, the blessings keep coming in and it does have an effect on you eventually.”

The interaction came after India’s historic 52-run victory over South Africa in the final at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, marking their first-ever ICC Women’s ODI World Cup title. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur recalled India’s loss in the 2017 final, telling PM Modi: “We did not come with a trophy back then, but this time, for something we have been working on so hard for years, we have brought the trophy here. Our aim is to meet you again and again and take photos with you.”

Modi praised the team, saying, “Cricket in India is not just a game. If there is good happening in cricket, India feels good, and even if there is a little bit of wrong happening, the whole of India feels bad.” He also engaged with Deepti Sharma, asking about her viral Hanuman tattoo that has captured social media attention.