Team India hockey captain Rampal condemns casteist remarks on Vandana's family

"It is shameful that the people are still making these kinds of slurs ... We come from different parts of the country. Some are Hindus. Some are Muslims and few others practise other religions. But, we all come under one flag and play for our country," she told reporters in a virtual press conference in Tokyo.

Vandana's family had received the casteist slurs on them from people living in their neighbourhood. They blamed Vandana for the defeat of Indian women's hockey team against Argentina in the semifinal match of Tokyo Olympics, though she had been the star for scoring four goals in the mega event.

She also fired a hatrick in the group stages against South Africa and became the first Indian to achieve the milestone.

India finished fourth in the Games despite giving a tough time for Great Britain in an intensely fought match. India lost to Great Britain 3-4.

Comeback trail

Talking about the stunning comeback, Rani said even after losing three matches in a row the team believed in themselves of reaching the knockout stages.

"A lot of people had written us off after we lost the first three matches.But, we knew we played good hockey against The Netherlands and Germany. Still we believed that we could make it to the knockout stages," he said.

The team showed a lot of character against the most experienced Australian side.