Modi chuckles as Indian boxer shares quirky tale about Pakistani opponent

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with India’s Commonwealth Games 2026 medal winners at his New Delhi home, where heavyweight Narender Berwal shared a humorous memory from his boxing career. He said a Pakistani rival, after losing to him at the 2015 World Military Games, told him he now despised the name "Narender" because it appeared in the boxer’s name, his coach’s name and even the Prime Minister’s. Modi laughed at the story while honoring the athletes’ achievements in Glasgow, where India secured ten boxing medals, including seven golds.

Fellow silver-medallist Jadumani Singh also spoke, recalling his 5-0 win over Pakistan’s Sumama Rehman on Kargil Vijay Diwas and dedicating the triumph to the Indian Army. Modi highlighted the symbolic importance of that victory, and the ceremony concluded with the handover of the Commonwealth Games flag to India, which will host the 2030 edition in Ahmedabad.