Your name, coach: Boxer’s anecdote about Pakistan rival’s quip has PM in splits
Sporting rivalry between India and Pakistan is always interesting and sometimes funny, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a good laugh when his namesake boxer recalled a hilarious episode. The trigger was a boxer from across the border saying, “Mujhe Narender naam se nafrat ho gayi hai (I have come to hate the name, Narendra).”
Narender Berwal had PM Modi in stitches as he recalled this exchange with a Pakistani pugilist. Berwal, who won a silver medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, said his opponent joked about his name, his coach’s name and the PM all being Narendra.
The Indian boxer, who won a silver medal in the 90 kg category at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, narrated the incident while interacting with the PM at his residence on Sunday. PM Modi felicitated all the medal winners from the contingent and listened to their sporting journey.
The banter between the two boxers goes back to the 2015 World Military Games. Sharing the anecdote with the PM, Berwal said, “My first-round match was against Pakistan. I got a call from the military that you cannot lose to a Pakistani opponent. I won that fight, but we suffered cuts and went to hospital to get stitches.”
It was there that the Pakistani boxer noticed an unusual coincidence involving Berwal, his coach and India’s PM. Berwal said his army coach at the games was also named Narender. The boxer then recalled what his Pakistani opponent told him after the fight.
“Aapka naam Narender hai, aapke coach ka naam Narender hai, aapke Pradhan Mantri ka naam Narendra hai. Mujhe Narendra naam se nafrat ho gayi hai (Your name is Narender, your coach’s name is Narender, and your Prime Minister’s name is Narendra. I have come to hate the name Narendra),” Berwal recalled the boxer telling him. PM Modi, who was listening to the anecdote carefully, burst into laughter along with the rest of the room.
Berwal latest victory added to India’s mega boxing haul at the Commonwealth Games. It marked the country’s best-ever performance in the sport at the Games. The haul surpassed India’s previous best of six medals, with the country’s boxers winning seven gold medals and three silver this time.
Ankush Panghal, Sachin Siwach, Jaismine Lamboria, Preeti Pawar, Sakshi Chaudhary, Arundhati Choudhary and Priya Ghanghas won gold medals, while Berwal, Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain and Jadumani Singh returned with silver.
Berwal, an Indian Army junior commissioned officer, also has a bronze medal from the 2023 Asian Games and is a two-time Asian Championships medallist.
His silver in Glasgow capped a memorable campaign for Indian boxing and helped contribute to India’s overall tally of 39 medals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. India finished fourth in the standings with 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze medals.
The Glasgow Games concluded after 11 days of competition, with the Commonwealth Games flag and ceremonial baton formally handed over to India, which will host the 2030 edition in Ahmedabad.
