Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu secured the first medal for India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as she won the silver medal in the women's 49kg category on July 24.
With this effort, Mirabai also ended India's 21-year wait for a weightlifting medal at the Olympics as well.
For her heroics, Mirabai Chanu received praise from all quarters. Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli also hailed the pocket-sized weightlifter.
In a video posted by the BCCI on Twitter, Kohli said in Hindi: “Saare desh ki ummeedo ka bhaar apne kandho par utha kar, unn ummeedo ko jeet mai badalne ka hunar khoob pata hai Mirabai Chanu ko”, which translates into, “Carrying the burden of expectations of the entire nation and then converting it into victory, Mirabai Chanu knows how to do it all.”
Virat Kohli is currently in England with the Indian team for the upcoming five-Test series, which is part of the second WTC cycle.
In order to prepare for the high-profile Test series, Team India recently played a three-day warm-up match against County Select XI but Kohli didn’t feature in it as he had some stiffness in his back.