As Neeraj Chopra wins historic gold, Sunil Gavaskar erupts in joy along with fellow commentators; sings ‘Mere Desh Ki Dharti’

Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, August 8

Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Saturday created history by winning the first gold medal for India in track and field to make the whole country proud.

And just like billions of countrymen rejoiced with Chopra for the amazing feat, former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar broke into and song and dance along with fellow commentators of the India vs England Test series.  

As the entire commentary panel lauded Chopra for his achievement for India, one celebration that stood out was that of Sunil Gavaskar. The former India captain, one of the many glued to the TV watching Chopra script history, erupted in joy.

Gavaskar was seen singing and dancing to the patriotic song ‘Mere Desh Ki Dharti’ from the 1967 film ‘Upkar’, starring Manoj Kumar and sung by the late Mahendra Kapoor. The song is a classic and right up there in terms of the best patriotic songs ever produced in Bollywood.

Chopra became only the second individual gold medallist from India after Abhinav Bindra’s path-breaking achievement at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Chopra’s gold was India’s seventh of this Olympics, which is the country’s best-ever medal haul, surpassing the six medals India won nine years ago at the London Olympics in 2012.