Young India will succeed under Modiji's leadership: VVS Laxman

NEW DELHI: The Australians found it difficult to breach VVS Laxman's defence during his playing days but on the same soil, it was Narendra Modi's speech that 'bowled' him over and he is confident that young India will achieve success under the Prime Minister's able leadership.

Laxman, along with former India captains Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, was in Australia at the invitation of Modi to attend a special reception at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, which was hosted by Australian PM Tony Abbot.

"The kind of energy and passion was clearly to be seen in each and every word he spoke for the betterment and future of Indians. He stressed on the fact that the majority of population constitutes the youth of our nation. I have no doubt that we will be able to achieve that under his able leadership," Laxman told PTI Bhasha during an interaction.

The Hyderabdi stylist termed it as a "great honour" for being part of the PM's official delegation Down Under.

"It was a great honour for me to be a part of the dinner hosted by the Australian PM in the honour of Modiji. He mesmerised all the Australians by his charisma and his futuristic vision for our country.It was a real opportunity and an experience for me to be able to watch him from so close quarters and also to be part of his delegation," Laxman said.

He also said that it felt great to hear his name being mentioned by the Prime Minister in his speech.

"Modiji mentioned my name in his speech that I have 'special relation' with Australian bowlers. He said that I have always done well against Australia and it felt great," Laxman quipped.

Laxman also said that this visit at MCG also showed how important cricket is in the relationship between the two nations.

"It also shows that how important the game of cricket is for both the countries. They take a lot of pride in the performance of their players," Laxman concluded.