Veteran halfback Sushila Chanu is one of the core group of players in the Indian women’s hockey team who rose to prominence within the national setup following India’s bronze medal finish in the 2013 Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup. As a matter of fact, Sushila was the captain of the squad that won India’s only medal at the age-group event.
In her appearance on Hockey India podcast Hockey Te Charcha, Sushila spoke about the current Indian junior women’s team’s prospects at the upcoming World Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
“This is a really tight-knit group with excellent understanding between each other on the field, and off the field as well. They have trained together as a group for a really long time, and even played practice matches against the senior team during the National Camp at SAI Bengaluru and in Bhubaneswar, in which they have contested well,” she said.
“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 they are a strong contender for the gold medal at the upcoming World Cup.”
Recalling fond memories of the time she led the junior team as captain in the 2013 edition in Monchengladbach, Germany, Sushila said, “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 focussed on using that competition as a platform to improve on 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 at the tournament.”
The junior women’s team won bronze after overcoming England on penalty shootouts in the third-place playoff.
Speaking about the pivotal game that shaped her fledgling career at the time, Sushila said, “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.”
