Indian National Women’s Hockey Team player Sharmila Devi has stated that she is happy to be able to play alongside the likes of Vandana Katariya and Rani Rampal.
SHARMILA ALREADY IS A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL TEAM
The 19-year-old has played for India in 9 matches and has already been a gamechanger, scoring India’s second goal against the USA in the first leg of their Olympics qualifier last year in November. India became victorious in the match with a final score of 5-1.
It seems that Sharmila is quite happy at her successful start as a member of the national team. The goal and the huge victory against the USA in the Olympics qualifier is still etched into her memory.
“I am really happy about the way I have started my international career. Being part of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers was simply magical,” she said.
SHARMILA IS LOOKING TO SOAK IN KNOWLEDGE FROM RAMPAL AND KATARIYA
Rani Rampal, who has played 226 national matches for the National Team and has scored 124 goals, is one of the most important sportswomen of this decade. Recently, in 2020, she was awarded Padma Shri by the Indian government. Vandana Katariya, too, has been an interesting player for the National Team, having scored 58 goals in 218 matches.
Sharmila is happy to play in the same team alongside such experienced players with more than 200 international appearances in their tally. She is observing them closely during practice, trying to soak in as much as she can. She believes that the in-game and outside knowledge she gains from them shall help her for the rest of her career.
“But the best thing is that I am playing alongside experienced campaigners such as Rani and Vandana. I am very fortunate to be playing in the same era as them. I have observed them closely during practice and the way they prepare for big games. My learnings from the way they conduct themselves on and off the pitch will certainly help me in the rest of my career,” she said.
OLYMPIC DREAM IS HER NEXT GOAL
Sharmila is determined to continue playing well, eventually finding a spot in the Olympics squad. Now that she has the experience of playing in big tournaments under pressure, her goal is to contribute to the team’s success in the most important sporting event on the planet. She believes it will be great for her if she can get a playing spot in the Olympics so early in her international career.
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