India men's hockey team gets call from 'surprise caller' after Olympic bronze medal [WATCH]
Shortly after the India men’s hockey team won their maiden Olympic medal in 41 years, they got a phone call from a surprise caller from back home in India.
Indian skipper Manpreet Singh and the team coach Graham Reid and assistant coach Piyush Dubey got a phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. He congratulated the team for their remarkable victory.
Capatin Manpreet Singh, who held the phone with the loud spaeker on, says "Namaskar sir." PM Modi, on the other end, can be hearing saying in Hindi, "Bahut, bahut, bahut badhayi (many congratulations)." PM Modi said the team has done a remarkable work in Tokyo.
"Many, many congratulations to you and the entire team, you have made history. The entire country is filled with joy. Your hard work has paid off. You have done a lot of hard work, please wish the entire side on my behalf. The entire country is happy, congratulations coach Reid, you have created history. My best wishes are with you," PM Modi was heard saying in a video shared by Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and on the official Twitter account of Sports Authority of India Media.
Also Read: PM Modi tells hockey team skipper Manpreet and coach Reid: Proud of you all for scripting history
A Very Special Call
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) August 5, 2021
from Prime Minister Sh @narendramodi ji.
Listen in 👇🏼#TeamIndia Men’s Hockey 🏑 pic.twitter.com/7o69MG3c25
PM Modi told the team captain Manpreet, "You have scripted history." He said that today, Mr Singh's voice is loud and clear, whereas it was slightly muted the other day (when India lost to Belgium).
Furthermore, coach Graham Reid told PM Modi: "You're words after the semi-final were fantastic and very inspirational."
PM Modi, who had tweeted a congratulatory note earlier, had also spoken to Manpreet Singh and coach Reid after the India team fell short in the semi-final against Belgium
Indian side were trailing 3-1 early but overturned the defeat to go into the final quarter leading 5-3, before a fourth German goal created a tense close.
India's bronze medal in Tokyo Olympics hold massive significance for the nation, which has a proud history of eight Olympic gold medals in the sport.
Also Read: From SRK to Akshay Kumar, Bollywood lauds men's hockey team for Olympic bronze
First published: 5 August 2021, 15:22 IST
