Present at the event were the entire men’s T20 team, led by Shreyas Iyer, which played the fourth T20I against West Indies on Wednesday evening and is scheduled to play the fifth and final match against them in Bengaluru on Saturday, along with the women’s team, which is due to face Zimbabwe in a T20I in Raipur on Friday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met India’s Asian Games medal-winners at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday.The athletes presented the PM with memorabilia, including signed jerseys and a bow from 17-year-old archery sensation Kumkum Mohod.PM Modi posed for photographs with the contingent, which was accompanied by senior officials from various sports bodies, including International Cricket Council chairman Jay Shah.“You have made 140 crore Indians proud. The biggest success is to make the tri-colour fly high. That’s why your success is not just yours but it belongs to crores of our countrymen. I congratulate you on behalf of the entire country,” the PM said in his address to the medal winners.India won 85 medals at the Games, including 21 gold, fewer than the 106 medals it secured at the previous edition in Hangzhou. However, the country’s debutants made a strong contribution, winning 41 medals.“I especially want to congratulate our women athletes, they contributed 38 medals to our tally and 11 of those medals were gold,” Modi said, while praising the cricket and hockey teams, as well as the archers who won five gold medals.“These medals are not merely numbers; they represent a powerful picture of a New India. Today, India is winning medals even in sports in which we had never won a medal before in the history of the Asian Games. In mixed martial arts, soft tennis, and certain sailing events, our athletes have created history by winning medals for the first time. Friends, now we must reach even greater heights in sports,” the Prime Minister added.“This time, the Asian Games have been memorable for us in many ways. Both our men’s and women’s hockey teams are present here. Both teams won gold medals this time. And especially our women’s hockey team—you have ended a long wait of 44 years by winning gold. In cricket, both our teams won medals for the second consecutive time. Not only that, they also equalled their own records. In kabaddi, too, both our men’s and women’s teams won gold medals. Similarly, we won five gold medals in archery—and where there is a ‘panch’ (five), there is God’s blessing. There were outstanding performances in shooting, major successes in boxing and wrestling, and new records set by our athletes. Weightlifting saw a medal after 28 years. And for the first time since 1982, India achieved success in the marathon. This is truly a very gratifying achievement,” PM Modi said.Harmanpreet Kaur, who led the women’s cricket team to gold at the Asian Games before stepping down as captain a few days ago, was also present at the event. She presented Modi with a jersey signed by the medal-winning team. Her successor, Smriti Mandhana, also posed for photographs with the PM.Golfer Pranavi Urs presented Modi with her glove and a golf ball in a frame.
