“It’s always great to see the World Number 1 team Netherlands in action and it was even better to see the way the World Number 5 team Great Britain kept putting pressure on their opponents and didn’t get bogged down after conceding an early goal. Even though Great Britain couldn’t convert their Penalty Corners, they kept putting pressure and leveled the match in the third quarter. The biggest learning for me was that continued pressure on oppositions will yield great results and we have to keep that in mind when we are trailing against any team,” said the 22-year-old.

Udita added that the fight shown by Great Britain in the FIH Hockey Pro League match was very inspiring.
“The Netherlands closed out the match in the Penalty Shoot-out, but it was amazing to see the way Great Britain fought throughout the match. It’s very important to keep giving our best in any situation. Great Britain put up a very inspiring performance and showed that a team needs to stay in the game until the final whistle is blown,” said the Forward.

Udita expressed that she is very determined to utilize the next few months to become a much better Forward.

“The next few months are very crucial for me as I have a chance to improve drastically and possibly make it to the Indian Olympic team. I am continuously speaking to our Coaches and senior players about the aspects I should improve in order to improve as a Forward. I haven’t made a huge mark in the international circuit yet and I am very determined to change that. It’s been really great to be back on the pitch after a long break. I have a chance to hone my skills in the upcoming months. We are very grateful and thankful to Hockey India for putting the procedures in place at the right time so that we could come back to the pitch and improve as players,” said the 22-yea

Reference Credit- Link

The post Learned a lot from the battle between the Netherlands and Great Britain in the FIH Hockey Pro League, says Indian Women’s Hockey Team Forward Udita first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

She further added that the seniors in the team have been big support during the pandemic. “It is not easy to be in Camp for long period but the seniors have made it easy and they have been supportive all along particularly during the lockdown when there were no activities. The coaching staff too have been supportive and often check with us during one-on-one meetings about how we are feeling and how our family is doing etc. This shows that we are being cared for,” she said.

Speaking of her own growth in the team, Nisha said, “I just want to utilize the opportunities I get and prove myself to the team. The New Zealand Tour was great exposure for me and I got to learn a lot from that tour especially about the match temperament required to play against good teams like New Zealand.”

With no tournaments this year, Nisha feels this is a great opportunity to improve her skills as a defender. “Personally, I feel this is a great opportunity to improve my own game and pay more attention to tactical awareness, PC defending, etc. This is an important phase for me as it provides ample time to get used to the level required in the Senior team. The pool of players in the Senior Women’s team is quite strong and if I need to make a place in the team for big tournaments, I need to bring my A-game to every session and I am committed to doing that,” she said.

Reference Credit- Link

The post “This is an important phase for me to work on my game,” says newcomer Nisha first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

In such a situation, India Hockey Team defender deep grace ekka said that being a senior it has been her responsibility to keep youngsters motivated during this critical time.

As a senior player in the team, I had to make sure that the youngsters are not too impacted and remain positive during this period. It’s easy for negativity to set in during this time, but our group has done well to take each day as it comes. It’s my duty to ensure that the youngsters remain motivated and they have done a great job. All of us focused on our fitness while we were away from the pitch and now, we are relishing our sports activities on the pitch,” said Ekka.

The Defender added that the national side has been able to cope with this period only because of the immense support received from Hockey India and SAI.

“Hockey India and SAI have always treated us like family and they have helped us tremendously in the last few months. We had enough facilities at our disposal for our fitness training during the lockdown and now, we are able to practice for the Olympics only because of the efforts put in by Hockey India and SAI,” said the 26-year-old.
Ekka expressed that the Indian defense line has a fantastic balance of youth and experienced players which will certainly help the national side in big tournaments.

It’s great to have a great balance of youth and experienced players in our defense line. We are guiding the youngsters to get even better at their game and I am sure after a few months we will get even better as a defense unit. Having a great defense line always helps any team and if we are rock solid then it will be a huge benefit for the Indian team, especially in big tournaments like the Olympics,” said the Defender.

Credit Reference- Link

The post As a senior player, keeping all youngsters motivated has been my duty, says Indian Women’s Hockey Team Defender Deep Grace Ekka first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.