BHUBANESWAR: Together they have played 500 international hockey matches but are excited about their first international on the home ground during the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers at Kalinga Stadium here.
Odia girls - defender Deep Grace Ekka, midfielders Lilima Minz and Namita Toppo - who are part of the 18-member Indian women’s hockey team said “it’s more emotional for us. We are thrilled and can beat any opponent team of the world if things go as planned.”
The dependable defender, also known as ‘the wall’ of Indian hockey, Sundargarh girl Ekka said “I never got the chance to play here, but I had seen a few matches here during Hockey Men’s World Cup 2018. What an electrifying atmosphere here at Kalinga Stadium, I had played more than 200 international matches, but never witnessed such sports-loving spectators in the world. We are eagerly waiting to play the match against USA with the home advantage.
For Namita it was a come back of sorts. “After an injury it was difficult to make a return. Almost after one year I had joined the squad for England tour in 2019, the last I was in the team was during Asian Games 2018 where we bagged silver.
My teammates, coach and physio were very supportive which helped me bounce back. Now, I am match fit,” said Namita Toppo who played more than 150 international matches.
Last three years the team has almost been the same for various international tournament.
We are like a family which has helped us to understand each other in a better way. Earlier, we used to call each other ‘didi’ on the ground, but the coach insisted that players call one another by name. By following that we are able to reduce the response time and improve quality of coordination, said Minz, who has played more than 150 matches.