Adit Ganguly speaks to the women of the Indian hockey team who recently won the FIH Hockey World League Round 2
With India glued to the Cricket World Cup, few have noticed that our women hockey’s team beat Poland 3-1 to win the FIH Hockey World League Round 2.
“We don’t think about the people who will be watching and those who won’t. When we step on the field, all we want to do is win. Sunday was no different,” says Savita Punia, who played her 100th game for India in the goal. Ritu Rani, who has captianed India since 2011 and made her 200th international appearance at the Dhyan Chand Stadium tells us, “This is the national sport we’re talking about. I’m back home in Haryana and besides family, not many know about Sunday’s result”. Savita agrees, “When it comes to TV coverage, hockey fans get to see the men’s team more often. With cricket being the dominant sport in India, hockey matches don’t stand much chance of being televised, but channels should screen our matches once we enter the quarter-finals. We work as hard as other sportspersons”.
Disappointment about stadium turnout and viewership, doesn’t affect their pride in playing for India, nor does it stop them from aiming higher. “This win is important, as we have qualified for the HWL Round 3. If we finish amongst the top six, we qualify for the Rio Olympics, 2016. People may not see hockey the way we want them to, but that doesn’t affect our game. What’s strange is that most of the people who say hockey in the country will never improve are the ones who have never watched us play,” says Ritu, who led the side to third-place at the 2013 Asian Cup in Kuala Lumpur and a bronze at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.
With not much monetary incentive in playing, most players have jobs off the turf. Indian Railways has hired a large chunk of the senior team. “Jaspreet Kaur and I are amongst the few in the squad who don’t play for the railways. I was promised a government job by former Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The Congress is now no longer in power, but I’m still optimistic,” says Savita. As far as post-retirement plans go, Ritu—who is part of the Haryana Police—has an alternative that will keep her close to the game she loves. “If you’re really good, states select you as part of their selection committees. You could also end up coaching a state team.”
What works in Ritu and Savita’s favour, is that their state which boasts a huge tally of medals from wins in the Asian and Commonwealth Games is supportive. “Haryana players get the best facilities and awards in the entire country. The state takes pride when we return with medals,” says Savita, who was awarded a cash prize of `50 lakh for her Asiad medal. “Eight players from the state were part of the Incheon squad. We’ve been lucky compared to other states when it comes to cash prizes and incentives. Things need to change for players from other states,” says Ritu, who hopes other states will follow Haryana’s footsteps.
@aditganguly
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