'Dedication, Training, Determination': Prime Minister Narendra Modi Lauds Indian Hockey Men's Team Following ACT 2023 Title

The Indian men’s hockey team managed to claim the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 with a stunning come-from-behind win over Malaysia at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai on Saturday with a 4-3 win in a seven-goal thriller.

Jugraj Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh, and Akashdeep Singh all netted in the championship clash to emerge victorious in dramatic fashion.

The Prime Minister of the nation, Shri. Narendra Modi congratulated the team on its feat and hailed the dedication and hard work of the players.

“Congratulations to our Men’s Hockey Team on the spectacular victory in the Asian Championship! This is India’s 4th triumph and it showcases the tireless dedication, rigorous training and unyielding determination of our players. Their extraordinary performance has ignited immense pride across the nation. Best wishes to our players for their future endeavours,” PM Modi’s post on social media platform Twitter read.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also sent his hearty wishes to the team led by Harmanpreet Singh, the tournament’s top scorer, with a post that read, “My heartfelt congratulations to the Men’s Hockey Team of India on winning the Asian Champions Trophy for the record 4th time. They have proven the power of India’s dreams and the resilience of its grit paving the path of glory to be trodden by their followers.”

India opened the game on a positive note as Jugraj netted the first goal of the summit lash early in the opening quarter India earned a 1-0 lead. However, the Malaysians hit back before the end of the first 15 minutes as they managed to restore parity before the end of Q1.

The visitors stunned the home side in the second quarter as they gained a two-goal cushion before the half-hour mark as India were still reeling from the shock.

India were struggling through the second quarter but turned things around in the third. More specifically the final two minutes of the third quarter made all the difference in the world for the men in blue as they netted twice in quick succession to head into the final quarter with the scores level at 3-3.

Harmanpreet converted a penalty stroke without any fuss before Gurjant put the finishing touches n a team move that resulted in the equaliser.

Akashdeep’s final-quarter heroics helped India claim a famous win and hold the continental trophy high up with immense pride following the comeback.