Narendra Modi writes to Chris Gayle, Jonty Rhodes on Republic Day; celebrates "profound connection" with India

By Team Newsable  |  First Published Jan 26, 2022, 2:23 PM IST

India is celebrating its 72nd Republic Day. On this particular day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written to Chris Gayle and Jonty Rhodes. He acknowledged their "profound connection" with India.


It is a special day for India on Wednesday, as it is celebrating its 72nd Republic Day. On this day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written to famous cricketers Chris Gayle of the Windies and Jonty Rhodes of South Africa. He has done so to acknowledge their profound connection with the country.

Rhodes had a distinct fondness for India, as he developed a love for the country during his stint as the fielding coach for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He lived in Mumbai for a while before relocating to Sweden. He has a daughter named India. Meanwhile, Gayle has a tremendous fan-following in India following his IPL success, while he too loves travelling in the country.

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Thank you ji for the very kind words. I have indeed grown so much as an individual on every visit to India. My whole family celebrates with all of India, honouring the importance of a that protects the rights of the Indian people pic.twitter.com/olovZ8Pgvn

— Jonty Rhodes (@JontyRhodes8)

In the letter shared by Rhodes on his social media handles, Modi had written, "I would like to convey my Republic Day Greetings to You. Over the years, you have developed a profound connection with India and its culture. This is truly reflected when you named your daughter after this great nation. You truly are a special ambassador of the strong relations between our nations."

In reply to the letter, Rhodes wrote, "Thank you Narendra Modi ji for the very kind words. I have indeed grown so much as an individual on every visit to India. My whole family celebrates RepublicDay with all of India, honouring the importance of a Constitution that protects the rights of the Indian people JaiHind."

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I would like to congratulate India on their 73rd Republic Day. I woke up to a personal message from Prime Minister Modi reaffirming my close personal ties with him and to the people of India. Congratulations from the Universe Boss and nuff love 🇮🇳🇯🇲❤️🙏🏿

— Chris Gayle (@henrygayle)

On the other hand, Gayle answered, "I would like to congratulate India on their 73rd Republic Day. I woke up to a personal message from Prime Minister Modi reaffirming my close personal ties with him and to the people of India. Congratulations from the Universe Boss and nuff (sic) love."

Thank you, 🇮🇳 🇯🇲 One Love ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pLzKu549av

— Chris Gayle (@henrygayle)

Later, Gayle also thanked the Indian embassy in Jamaica, as he shared the letter to him by Modi. "Thank you, @hcikingston 🇮🇳 🇯🇲 One Love ❤️", he captioned another tweet late on Wednesday night.

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