Hockey legend Dhanraj Pillay on Sunday fell short of words to describe the feeling after the Indian men's hockey team registered a scintillating 3-1 win against Great Britain in the quarter-final of the ongoing Tokyo Olympics.
With this win, India inched closer to end the 41-year medal drought as they booked the semi-final berth with help of goals from Dilpreet Singh (7'), Gurjant Singh (16') and Hardik Singh (57').
The overall effort ensured India a place in the semi-final against World Champions Belgium.
"What a show Team India! #Hockey Well deserved Victory. Words fail me as I try to compose my emotions for the semifinals against #Bel Wishing my blue army the very best, you are on the threshold of making history. Good luck," Pillay tweeted.
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and former India batsman Virender Sehwag heaped praises on the men's hockey team after their sensational show on Sunday.
"Well done Indian Hockey Team on putting up a spectacular show of team work & commitment to reach the semi-finals. We are all cheering for you. All the best for the upcoming matches, Chak De India," Tendulkar tweeted.
"Chak De India ! What a great moment for Indian hockey. Beating Great Britain in great fashion. First semi-final after 1972 Olympics. Maza aa gaya. Best wishes for the semis," Sehwag tweeted.
Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman wished the team the very best for the next game against Belgium on Tuesday.
"Yay! Fantastic team effort by @TheHockeyIndia to win the quarter final match against GBR today. Wishing the team the best to win their first Hockey medal after 1980. Onwards and upward," Laxman tweeted.
Coming back to the game, India suffered a blow when skipper Manpreet Singh received a yellow card in the dying minutes, but Hardik scored in the 57th minute to extend India's lead.
In the final quarter, Great Britain tried hard to score a goal after breaching the Indian defence. The side even won a penalty corner but PR Sreejesh made a fine save to keep India on top.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor