A 41-year wait for medal ended on Thursday as the Indian Men's hockey team won their match against Germany to secure the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Since then, congratulatory messages have taken over social media platforms, with politicians, actors, sportspeople and countless other netizens cheering vociferously. And soon after the win, the euphoric team captain and coach had a surprise caller lauding their performance.
In a video that has since gone viral, Prime Minister Narendra Modi can be heard speaking to Indian Hockey team Captain Manpreet Singh, Head Coach Graham Reid and Assistant Coach Piyush Dubey. The clip shows the group thanking the PM as he congratulates their performance via speakerphone.
"You have scripted history," the Prime Minister told them, adding that their hard work had paid off. Modi urged Singh to wish the entire team on is behalf, telling the Captain that the "entire country is filled with joy".
During the conversation, Modi also remarked that today Singh's voice was loud and clear as compared with the other day when India had lost to Belgium in the semi-finals. The Indian team captain for his part thanked the PM for his constant encouragement to the team.
Earlier on Thursday, Modi had hailed the win, insisting that this day will be etched in the memory of every Indian. ""Historic! A day that will be etched in the memory of every Indian. Congratulations to our Men's Hockey Team for bringing home the Bronze. With this feat, they have captured the imagination of the entire nation, especially our youth. India is proud of our Hockey team," he had tweeted.