Savita Punia: Indian hockey’s revival due to change of mindset

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Goalkeeper of the Indian women’s hockey team, Savita Punia has attributed the transformation in the team to a change in mindset. The hockey team has made impressive progress in the last few years and is gearing up for the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup. According to Punia, the team now has a revamped attitude to the sport and plays each game with the intention of participating as well as accomplishing goals, andevaluating their performances to get better. Punia herself has been awarded the FIH Goalkeeper of 2022 award and has been a part of the team through the revival of hockey in recent times, which has also included an increased in overall fitness of the team. With support from Hockey India and SAI, the players have been vigilant about health, diet, and fitness, and are aware that their presence in the team depends on their performance on the field.

According to the goalkeeper, the upcoming FIH Hockey Women’s Cup is crucial as it could go a long way in helping the team train for the 2024 Olympics, by guaranteeing a spot at the FIH Pro League which has previously helped the team prepare for the Commonwealth Games. Punia believes that playing against top ranked teams enhancing bonding within the team and performance, both. Punia is currently the stand-in captain and will be leading the team at the Nations Cup as Rani Rampal is still recovering from hamstring injury.

She intends to maintain unity in the team and does not believe in pressurizing young players, who according to her, should be granted some freedom. For the time being, Punia is confident about India’s performance at the Nations Cup and also the FIH Hockey World Cup 2023.