It was a gloomy night at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi a year ago. Despite their grueling efforts, the Indian women's hockey team could not beat Japan in the third-place playoff match of the 2024 Women's FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers.
Heartbroken the Savita Punia-led side watched as Germany, the United States and Japan booked their tickets to the Paris Olympics. After their heroic efforts in the Tokyo Olympics, where they missed the bronze medal by whiskers, this was a hard pill to swallow for each member of the team, including Udita Duhan, who was part of the squad in Tokyo. However, a year after that disappointment the introduction of the Women's Hockey India League is something that excites Duhan.
"We could not qualify for the Paris Olympics and we were all disappointed by that result," Duhan told this daily. "The Women's Hockey India League is happening a year after that heartbreak. It will undoubtedly be a learning phase for all of us and give us time to focus on our personal growth. The opportunity to learn from the foreign players - especially about their approach to the game is immense. The most important part understanding their mindset from them. HIL is a big opportunity for us to grow the women's game in India. This has never happened before in our game, so I am particularly excited about that," she added.
The 27-year-old, who used to play handball in her school days, received the highest bid in the women's auction (`32 lakhs) from Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers. While Duhan was confident that she would get picket in the competition, she never thought about being the player to receive the highest bid, neither did her family. "The entire auction process was a mixture of confidence and nervousness. I never thought I would get the highest bid. I have to be honest, I couldn't watch the auction when my name came up in the auction. I was just listening to it somehow. It is a stressful process. There were some technical issues when my name came up and I was a bit scared, but did not expect to get the highest bid. My family members have watched that entire bidding process many times," she mentioned.
While Bengal Tigers have not performed up to the mark in this inaugural edition, and only have one win to show after four fixtures, it is still a big learning curve for players like Duhan. And there is nothing she would want to change about her journey. "It has been wonderful. Looking back on the journey of many ups and downs, I cannot help but be proud of myself. By God's grace, I have a supporting family and I have everything I need. I never thought I would be here in the first place, so I am immensely grateful for all of these opportunities," she signed off.