The 23-year-old from Haryana spoke about how switching sports from handball to hockey has changed her life.
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Indian Women’s Hockey Team forward Udita has termed the decision to start playing hockey six years ago, as a move that changed her life. The 23-year-old used to play handball previously. However, she chose Hockey as an alternative sport after her coach in the previous sport, was absent for three consecutive days. Udita has been named in the 16-member Indian Women’s Hockey squad for Tokyo Olympics, having played 32 matches for the national team so far.
“It’s amazing where life takes you. I only started playing Hockey six years ago. Before that, I was busy playing handball. But life had other plans for me. My handball Coach was absent for three consecutive days and led me to choose Hockey as an alternative sport. And the choice to play Hockey changed my life entirely,” said the forward.
The hockey star from Haryana was a part of the Silver Medal-winning team at the 2018 Asian Games. She made her senior Team debut in 2017. Udita added that she feels fortunate to have enjoyed an opportunity to represent the Indian team in some of the biggest tournaments so far.
“I was selected for the Junior National Camp in 2015 after some impressive performances in domestic tournaments. Then, I made my debut for the Junior Team in 2016. I later went on to lead the Junior India squad that won the Bronze at the 4th U-18 Women’s Asia Cup in 2016. I have been very fortunate to have got an opportunity to play for India in some of the biggest events like the Asian Games and the World Cup in London where we had some significant performances as a Team. Training with Rani and Vandana has taught me a lot of things. They have played nearly 500 games for India between them and share a very good rapport. They are very experienced players and have always supported me during my time with the Team. I am very lucky to have seniors like them around in the Team,” she stated.
Udita termed her mother as a special person who has always supported her. The 23-year-old did not hesitate for a second when asked to discuss her influence.
“My mother is very special in my life. Since I lost my father in 2015, my mother has been a big support for all of us. Our mother took our father’s place and was always there for us,” said the attacker.
Hardly 20 days are left for the beginning of the Tokyo Olympics, which starts on 23 July 2021. Udita stated that the upcoming weeks leading up to the tournament were going to be immensely crucial for all the players.
“The Indian team only has one focus right now, which is Tokyo. There is no doubt that the next few weeks are going to be the most crucial days of our lives. Everything we do now, we will do with an aim to produce the best results at the Tokyo Olympics,” she concluded.
Fans will certainly be eager to witness a spectacular performance from the Indian team.
