India’s gold-winning men’s and women’s cricket teams from the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games were part of a special interaction with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday.

The two teams, along with other medal winners, were felicitated following their memorable campaigns in Japan. The men’s team successfully defended its Asian Games title, while the women’s team also retained the gold medal.

The men’s and women’s teams were accompanied at the interaction by ICC Chairman Mr Jay Shah, BCCI President Mr Mithun Manhas and BCCI Honorary Secretary Mr Devajit Saikia.

The Prime Minister congratulated the athletes, coaches and support staff for their performances and spoke about the pride their achievements had brought to the country. Referring specifically to Indian cricket, he said, “In cricket, both our teams won medals for the second consecutive time. Not only that, they also equalled their own records.”

The interaction also saw Shreyas Iyer and Harmanpreet Kaur present signed India jerseys to the Prime Minister.

PM Modi highlighted the wider progress being made by Indian sport, pointing to the strong performances across disciplines at the Asian Games. India finished fourth in the medal tally with 85 medals, including 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze.

Looking ahead, the Prime Minister urged the athletes to aim even higher, with the Los Angeles Olympics set to take place in 2028. He also spoke about India’s wider sporting ambitions, including hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the country’s aspiration to host the 2036 Olympics.

“Los Angeles 2028 is the next Olympic Games. In 2030, India will host the Commonwealth Games. And in 2036, India aspires to host the Olympic Games.”

The two teams had arrived in New Delhi from different parts of the country for the interaction. The men’s team travelled to the capital after playing the fourth T20I against West Indies in Hyderabad on Wednesday, while the women’s team arrived from Raipur, where they are set to face Zimbabwe in the first T20I of the series under the captaincy of Smriti Mandhana on Friday.