Dream Team: Meet The Players Behind The Historic Feat Of The Indian Women’s Hockey Team

The Indian Women’s Hockey team made history by entering the semifinals for the very first time when it beat Australia 1-0. The epic win at the Tokyo Olympics has been nothing short of a dream. Behind this dream are 16 outstanding players, who have worked hard day and night to make it come true for all of us. Keep scrolling to know all about the players who fought against all odds, and proved that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it. 

Rani Rampal: Forward & Captain

The captain of the Indian hockey team began playing the sport at the age of six with a broken stick. Since childhood, all she ever dreamt was to make it big in the field. And despite financial constraints, she remained focused and convinced her parents to let her play the sport professionally. Today, she’s a junior World Cup bronze medallist and her leadership qualities have proven to be extremely beneficial for the team.

Deep Grace Ekka: Defender & Vice-Captain

Inspired by her older brother Dinesh, a former goalkeeper of the Indian hockey team, Deep Grace Ekka aspired to be a hockey goalie ever since she was a young girl. However, her brother and uncle advised her to become a defender. Her family was also criticized by their neighbours for ‘allowing’ a woman to play a ‘man’s sport’. However, she chose to not let it bother her and continued playing hockey. Eventually, she made it to the national team, and today, she is a two-time Asian Games medallist and an Asian Cup winner.

Savita Punia: Goalkeeper & Vice-Captain

Savita Punia was never interested in making a career out of hockey. But that changed when her grandfather bought her an expensive hockey kit. Today, she has over 200 international appearances that include Asian Game medals and Asia Cup Gold. 

Neha Goyal: Midfielder

Growing up, Neha Goyal worked with her mother and sisters at a cycle factory. Her alcoholic father would abuse her mother, who in turn enrolled Neha into a hockey academy, just to keep her away from the trauma. Neha soon realised that she wanted to pursue a career in hockey. After practising day and night, she made it to the Indian team for the 2011 junior World Cup when she was just fourteen years old. Later that year, she was the player of the tournament at the U-21 Four-Nations Lal Bahadur Shastri women’s hockey tournament. She was also a part of the team that won silver at the 2018 Asian Games.

Salima Tete: Midfielder

Without any means to buy a hockey stick, Salima Tete grew up playing hockey with wooden sticks. Her father, who is a farmer, himself played hockey and it was him who encouraged Salima to take up the sport professionally. Today, the ace player is best known for her tenacious defending skills on the field. She also captained the Indian team that won silver at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.

Navneet Kaur: Forward

Noticeable on the field for her striking white headband, Navneet Kaur is one of eight players in the team who also competed at the 2016 Olympics. She has been one of India’s most powerful forwards and a key player of several path-breaking performances, starting with the 2013 Junior World Cup bronze medal. Now if that isn’t an impressive career graph, then we don’t know what is!

Udita Duhan: Defender

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Udita Duhan followed in her father’s footsteps and started her career with handball. Until she was suddenly no longer interested in the sport. On her mother’s insistence, she decided to give hockey a try and that was it. She fell in love with the sport and decided to make it her profession. Udita made her senior team debut during the Indian team’s tour of New Zealand in 2017. She has played an impressive 32 matches for the Indian team so far. 

Nisha Warsi: Midfielder

The daughter of a tailor and a factory worker, Nisha Warsi worked extremely hard to make it to the Indian team in 2018. She also made her international debut two years ago at the FIH Women’s Series Finals in Hiroshima. Even though her family wasn’t flourishing financially, her father made sure to set aside some money that would help his daughter travel for tournaments. Behind every great daughter is a truly amazing father, no? 

Lalremsiami: Forward

One of the youngest players in the team, Lalremsiami is the first female player from her hometown, Kolasib, in Mizoram to compete at the Olympics. Since hockey isn’t all that popular in her state, she had to struggle quite a bit to convince her family to take up the sport. After getting the go-ahead from her family, she joined the Indian team but struggled with the language, as she could barely speak Hindi or English. However, she overcame her barriers and is one of the strongest players on the team today. She was also a part of the U-18 team in the Asia Cup back in 2016.

Monika Malik: Midfielder

Monika Malik’s performances in several major tournaments have been nothing short of inspiring. She helped the national team win the Asia Cup in 2018. She was also part of the team that won bronze and silver medals at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games respectively. 

Sharmila Devi: Forward

Sharmila Devi decided to be a professional hockey player after she accompanied her grandfather, a former national-level player, to a local ground. After learning about the sport and practising it day and night, she made her senior team debut at the Olympics test event in 2019. The 19-year-old forward striker featured in nine games ahead of the Tokyo Games, including the Olympic Qualifiers.

Gurjit Kaur: Defender

Gurjit Kaur knew nothing about hockey until her parents enrolled her in a boarding school. She would watch other girls play hockey all day, and that is how she discovered her passion for the sport. In the team, she plays the dual role of a defender as well as the designated drag-flicker. Gurjit also remains the most successful goal-scorer in the 2018 Hockey World Cup with 8 goals. 

Navjot Kaur: Forward

Navjot Kaur was eight when her father, a mechanic who wanted at least one of his children in sports, urged her to play hockey. She started training in 2003 and made her international debut in 2012. She was also a part of the team that made it to the 2016 Rio Games, and the quarterfinals of the World Cup in 2018.

 Sushila Chanu: Midfielder

Sushila Chanu, who was introduced to the sport by her uncle back when she was eleven years old, dreamt of representing India at least once in her lifetime. Today, she has over 150 international caps. She made her debut in the junior team in 2008. She has helped India win the bronze medal at the 2008 Women’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup, held in Kuala Lumpur. 

Vandana Katariya: Forward

Meet Vandana Katariya, who dreamt of making it big in the field of hockey ever since she was a young girl. Her neighbours would say things such as, “she’s a girl, don’t let her step outside.” However, her family, especially her father, ensured that nothing came between his daughter and her dreams. At the junior world cup in 2013, Vandana went on to score five goals as India won a bronze. She was the top scorer at the event. And at this year’s Olympics, she remains the only Indian woman to score a hat-trick. Dear society, how about keeping your opinions to yourself? 

Nikki Pradhan: Defender

When she was selected in the Indiam squad for Tokyo Games, Nikki Pradhan became the first-ever player from Jharkhand to represent the country at the Olympics. Since then, the 27-year-old has won over 100 caps for India. 

So fam, feeling inspired? Here’s wishing the Indian Women’s Hockey team all the very best for their next match!

Featured Image: Instagram