Prime Minister Narendra Modi today used the recent performance of the young Indian cricket team in Australia to illustrate how young India has a distinctive way of taking on challenges.

Addressing the 18th Convocation of Assam's Tezpur University through video conferencing, Modi said that the Indian Test team faced so many challenges, suffered a crushing defeat and yet recovered equally fast and won the next match, and the series, Down Under. "The players showed determination despite injuries. They took the challenge head on and looked for fresh solutions instead of getting frustrated by difficult conditions. There were inexperienced players but their morale was high and they grabbed the opportunity given to them. They overpowered a better team with their talent and temperament," he said.

Elaborating on the concept of Aatmnirbhar Abhiyan, he explained while this movement is about change in resources, physical infrastructure, technology and economic and strategic might, the biggest transformation is in the realm of instinct, action and reaction which is in sync with the mood of today’s youth.

The Prime Minister stressed that this stellar performance of Indian players is important not just from the point of view of the sports field. Listing important life lessons from the performance, he said that we should have faith and confidence in our ability; a positive mindset begets positive results and if one is facing two options, one safe and the other is an option of a difficult victory, one must surely explore the option of victory.

"There is no harm in occasional failure and one should not refrain from taking the risks. We need to be proactive and fearless. If we overcome the fear of failure and unnecessary pressure, we will emerge fearless. This new India, confident and dedicated to goals, is evident not only in the cricket field, all of you are part of this picture," the Prime Minister told the students.