Watch: Emotional women's hockey team breaks down while talking to PM Narendra Modi

The Indian women's hockey team's quest for an Olympic medal came to an end after their 4-3 defeat to Great Britain. The team showed great character to come from behind and take the lead for a brief while. However, world-class hockey from the Rio 2016 champions denied the Indians a chance of Olympic success.

Regardless of the result, the whole country was very proud of the efforts put in by the whole team. To appreciate the brilliant performance of the team at the Olympics. India's honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the players and spoke to them.

#WATCH | Indian Women's hockey team breaks down during telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He appreciates them for their performance at #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/n2eWP9Omzj

— ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2021

Speaking to the team, PM Modi said:

"Look, all of you have played brilliantly well. You all have worked so hard for the last 5-6 years, leaving everything y'all just focussed on the game. It may not have yielded a medal, but it has been a motivation to millions of girls in our country. I would like to congratulate the team and the coaches for putting in such brilliant efforts."

The tears didn't stop rolling down in the Indian women's dressing room. The agony of losing out on an Olympic medal was clearly seen in the eyes of every team member as they spoke to the honorable PM.

Speaking to them, the PM also added:

"All of you please stop crying, there is no reason for you to be disappointed. The whole country is proud of what you have done. After so many years, Indian hockey has risen to where it belongs, all of this is because of your hard work."

Indian women's rise from zero wins in Rio to finishing 4th in Tokyo

The Indian women's team had a forgettable Olympic campaign in Rio. The team failed to register a single win and got knocked out of the tournament with just one point. The team's defense and attack failed simultaneously as they conceded 19 goals and managed to score only 3 in return in 5 games.

In just 5 years since, the team has turned the tables. The start in Tokyo, however, was not easy. After losing 3 games on the trot, the team showed great composure to win their final 2 games and qualify for the knockouts.

Waiting for them there, were the mighty Australians. Nobody would have expected India to come out of this quarterfinals encounter as the winner. However, they defied all the odds and pulled off a 1-0 win to advance to their first-ever semifinals.

They faced Argentina in the semi-final match. The team put in their best efforts, but at the end of 60 minutes, they lost 2-1 to the South Americans. Hopes of a medal were still alive, but for that, they would have to get the better of the former Olympic champions Great Britain. The team fought till the end, but their efforts fell short as they lost 4-3 to GB.

A valiant effort by #TeamIndia but it wasn’t to be as they were beaten by Great Britain in the Bronze Medal match 😭However, we all can be proud of this team. They have exceeded all the expectations at #Tokyo2020 & given billions a reason to believe ❤️🇮🇳Take a bow! 🙌#IND pic.twitter.com/UKhPMV3hdb

— Sportskeeda India (@Sportskeeda) August 6, 2021

The quick turnaround has been quite splendid. The team has proven that they have what it takes to compete against the best in the world. World-class players like Savita Punia, Rani Rampal, Gurjit Kaur and Vandana Kataria have all shown great promise at the 2021 Olympics.

We tried very hard but just could not convert to a medal winning victory. We are sad and disappointed of being so close but we know that we will comeback stronger and win the hearts of our country. Thank you everyone for your support and prayers in our journey till here. pic.twitter.com/etopVa8rdT

— Rani Rampal (@imranirampal) August 6, 2021

The next Olympics in Paris is just three years away. If the team continues to put in more work during this time, Indian women's hockey team definitely holds a great chance to finish on the podium in Paris.