“I believe that the Indian Junior Women’s Hockey team can win the Gold medal,” says Indian team’s Sushila Chanu ahead of the Junior Women’s World Cup

Indian Women’s hockey team’s veteran halfback Sushila Chanu who has cemented her spot in the national team with a lot of consistency and dedication recalled how she earned her spot in the senior team after winning the bronze medal in the 2013 Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup. Sushila Chanu captained that Indian Junior Women’s team to glory a decade ago from now.

In her appearance on the Hockey India podcast Hockey Te Charcha, Sushila spoke about the current Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team’s preparation and chances at the upcoming Junior World Cup which is all set to start in South Africa.

The 30-year old shared how this team has stuck together for a long time and has worked really hard to up their game. She even added how matches against the senior team were well contested by them therefore she is expecting big things from the youngsters.

“This is a really tight-knit group with an excellent understanding between each other on the field, and off the field as well. They have trained together as a group for a long time and even played practice matches against the Senior Women’s Team in the National Camp at SAI Bengaluru and in Bhubaneswar which they have contested well. The group also consists of players who have represented the Senior Team on the big stage like the Olympics. These reasons lead me to believe that the Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team is a strong contender for the Gold Medal in the upcoming World Cup,” Sushila Chanu stated.

The Indian team halfback reminisced about her time when she captained India at the World Women’s World Cup back in 2013 which was held in Monchengladbach, Germany. Sushila shared how the tournament was a lifetime experience for her. She shared how great communication and camaraderie among players often act as keys to success.

“We had the time of our lives during that Junior World Cup campaign. We were so young and carefree at the time, but each one of us was completely focused on using that competition as a platform to improve our skills individually and as a team. Our communication within the team was so strong at the time. It was one of the key reasons behind our success in the Junior World Cup.” Sushila reminisced.

The Indian eves stepped up at the right moment as they defeated England on penalty shootouts in the Bronze medal playoff match. Sushila shared how that match changed her career on its head. She added, “Winning that medal was the biggest achievement of my life. I will never forget that game and that moment when we secured victory. The penalty shootouts were going on, and everyone in the team was huddled together in the centre of the pitch and we were all praying together. After winning the match that day, we were all overjoyed. That campaign was truly unforgettable.”