Equipo Royal Second: Shubman Gill, Harmanpreet Meet King Charles en el Palacio de Londres

In a “royal” moment, the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams were hosted by King Charles III at St. James’s Palace on Tuesday, marking a historic occasion during the ongoing England tour. India are currently trailing 2-1 in the 5-match series, with the next stop in Manchester. While such high-profile receptions are rare, what caught everyone off guard was the monarch’s deep knowledge, not just of cricket, but of the players themselves.

King Charles asked about Akash Deep’s sister’s health & more

From recalling the dying moments of the Lord’s Test to enquiring about Mohammed Siraj’s dismissal and Akash Deep’s sister’s illness, King Charles left players and officials alike stunned. As you all know, Akash Deep dedicated his match-winning ten-wicket haul at Edgbaston to his sister, who is recovering from cancer.

“It was a very historic occasion that both our men’s and women’s teams were invited today by King Charles and met them very well in the Palace. Players are very happy because he asked all personal details of each player. He asked Saikia ji and me about whether Arun Jaitley is my friend, what happened to him, and when I told him that he had died, he asked me to pay condolences to his family. He also asked about Akash Deep’s sister’s illness,” BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla said after the meeting.

“He had found out so many details. He sounded like a gentleman, and it did not seem we were talking to the King of England. There is a lot of humility in him and team is very happy to meet him.”