New Delhi, July 16 – Indian cricket captain Shubman Gill shared his reflections on meeting King Charles III during the team's visit to Clarence House in London. The visit came as a surprise to the Indian contingent, who had not anticipated that the British monarch would have watched the recent Test match at Lord’s.
On Tuesday, members of the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams were formally welcomed by King Charles III at Clarence House, as part of the royal tradition of hosting Commonwealth cricket teams visiting England. During the gathering, King Charles interacted warmly with several players including Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and Gill himself.
As per agency report, King Charles mentioned that he had caught glimpses of the dramatic final session of the third Test between India and England, where India narrowly lost by just 22 runs under Gill’s captaincy. The monarch’s interest in the game came as an unexpected yet pleasant surprise for the players.
In a video shared on BCCI’s official social media platform, Gill expressed his admiration for King Charles, describing him as kind and generous. He noted that the players were grateful for the conversation and the opportunity to be hosted at Clarence House.
Adding to the special occasion, English actor and musician Idris Elba also interacted with the players. Elba was in London to attend the Youth Opportunities Summit at St. James’s Palace and took time to extend his best wishes to the Indian team.
The event also saw the presence of BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla and India’s High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami. Shukla gifted King Charles a copy of his book Scars of 1947 and later shared that the monarch received them with warmth and had clearly taken time to learn about each guest beforehand.
