"Jai Bajrang Bali" - Cricket fraternity hails Bajrang Punia's bronze medal-winning effort at the Olympics

Wrestler Bajrang Punia clinched the bronze medal in the men's 65 kg freestyle category to give India their sixth medal at the 2021 Olympics on Saturday. He displayed complete dominance in the contest and defeated Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov by 8-0 to claim the medal.

Bajrang Punia was one of the favorites to win the gold medal. Eventual silver medalist Haji Aliyev ended the Indian grappler's dream run in the semi-finals by 12-5 on Friday. Bajrang Punia came back strongly and performed outstandingly to claim the medal.

The whole nation took notice of his achievements and showered appreciation on social media handles. India's sportspersons from various fields also flooded Twitter with congratulatory messages for the grappler. Current and former Indian cricketers expressed their delight and appreciation for Bajrang Punia's bronze medal on social media platforms.

Cricket fraternity hails Bajrang Punia's bronze medal-winning effort at the Tokyo Olympics

Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar led the cricketing fraternity on this front with his appreciation post. Soon several former cricketers including Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh and Wasim Jaffer joined in.

Here are some of the best reactions:

Sheer class & domination on display by @BajrangPunia in #wrestling to win 🥉 for India! 👏🏻Congratulations on this much deserved victory & leaving us all stunned with your performance. #Olympics #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/ZPsd1tiOf3

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 7, 2021

Jai Bajrang Bali.Shaabaash @BajrangPunia on winning the Bronze. Brilliant #BajrangPunia pic.twitter.com/UalzokFKrG

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) August 7, 2021

What a champion! Congratulations #BajrangPunia you did it🥉🇮🇳 is proud of you🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/zxpihAs8kn

— Surya Kumar Yadav (@surya_14kumar) August 7, 2021

Another medal by another top class fighter! Great performance! #BajrangPunia pic.twitter.com/plwougtEiB

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) August 7, 2021

What a bout! Brilliant from #BajrangPunia and a well-deserved Bronze medal. Super Proud! pic.twitter.com/qX9XRsXFC5

— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) August 7, 2021

Super Duper ....And @bajrangpunia does India proud. Absolutely brilliant from #BajrangPunia to win 8-0 and win the #Bronze match. pic.twitter.com/FAb5JB9CRQ

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) August 7, 2021

There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen. #TeamIndia #Proud #Olympics #NeerajChopra pic.twitter.com/TDkR9oNfQE

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) August 7, 2021

Congratulations @BajrangPunia on winning the bronze🥉That was pure domination 👏#Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/mpgGpY77th

— DK (@DineshKarthik) August 7, 2021

Congratulations @BajrangPunia! A breathtaking performance and result 👍🏻 super proud to see India take podium position 🇮🇳

— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) August 7, 2021

The Indian grappler looked unstoppable today from the moment the bout began and completely dominated his opponent. The Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medalist started aggressively and took early control of the match.

Bajrang also demonstrated his tactical acumen in the middle stages by switching to defensive mode at times in a bid to avoid losing points to the opponent. He literally gave nothing away for most of the bout, which left his opponent helpless.

The 27-year-old is the second Indian wrestler to win a medal at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics following Ravi Dahiya, who grabbed a silver in 57kg freestyle. With his efforts, Bajrang has inspired many young wrestlers in the country.