New Delhi, April 16 (IANS): After the Indian contingent finished third in the medals tally at the just concluded 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG), an elated Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Chief Narinder Dhruv Batra on Monday said the nation is on the right path to become a sporting powerhouse.

With a total of 66 medals, which included a grand haul of 26 Gold medals, 20 Silver and 20 Bronze at the Gold Coast Games, the Indian contingent surpassed the tally of 64 with 15 golds, achieved at the last edition of the quadrennial event at Glasgow in 2014.

Congratulating the athletes, Batra said: "On behalf of the IOA, I would like to congratulate each and every athlete who participated in the Commonwealth Games and brought glory to the country."

"Their hard work has paid rich dividends and I can proudly say that we as a nation are on the right path to becoming a sporting powerhouse," the IOA chief opined.

Significantly, the 2018 CWG also became India's third best outing ever in the event's history. Over the entire stretch of the event at the Gold Coast, Indian athletes shattered 11 CWG records.

"I wish all the athletes the very best in this Olympic cycle and hope they continue to improve upon their performance in the lead up to 2018 Asian Games and the 2020 Olympic Games," Batra concluded.