Watch: Mithali Raj and co present Prime Minister Narendra Modi with signed bat

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday was presented with a signed bat by the Indian women's cricket team that recently participated in the ICC Women's World Cup and brought laurels to the country.

The players said that this was the first time that they had seen a Prime Minister tweet for the women's cricket team. They said that that they felt proud, happy and inspired to know that the Prime Minister was following their progress.

Responding to questions asked by the players on handling pressure, the Prime Minister said that yoga helps achieve a good balance between mind, body and action. He also said that practice of yoga helps develop detachment.

The Indian team performed exceedingly well throughout the tournament before ending up as runner-up, going down by nine runs to England in a nail-biting final at Lord's on July 23.

During the course of the event, they registered remarkable victories over Australia, New Zealand and hosts England, which eventually won the trophy.

Telling the players that they had not "lost", the Prime Minister said that 125 crore Indians carried their defeat in the final, on their shoulders, and this was, in fact, their greatest victory.

Noting that India's daughters have made the nation proud in many international sporting events, Prime Minister Modi said that the society is benefiting from the progress that women are making in various fields.

Besides sports, he mentioned the school results of Class 10 and 12; and women space scientists, who have played a key role in prestigious ISRO missions.