"Ab medal ka rang badalna hai jee. We fought hard in every match and played incredibly well the entire tournament. Even the semifinal match was close; we should have won the gold medal, but it's okay because we lost that match by a small margin. A medal is a medal, after all," the 28-year-old adds, adding that he thinks Indian hockey is doing well and that the heyday will return.

"These days, you see people celebrating the sport, talking about its accomplishments, and discussing it. When people show interest in one another, it is evident that it makes them feel good. For this reason, you can clearly see that the Indian hockey squad is there to compete as well as to take home medals. Things have improved remarkably," says Harmanpreet Singh.

Even while he wouldn't compare the two bronze medal victories, the victory at the Paris Olympics may have been more meaningful because Ruhanat, his one-year-old daughter, was present in the grandstand to watch her father lead the team from the front.