Adelaide [Australia], May 21 (ANI): The Indian ladies’s hockey group captain Savita Punia on Sunday achieved the milestone of finishing 250 worldwide caps for the nation. She achieved this unimaginable milestone throughout India’s third match of their tour to Australia held on the Mate Stadium in Adelaide.
Since making her debut on the Spar Cup Four Nations Tournament in Durban in 2009, Savita has come up the ranks and cemented her place within the group with some top-quality performances through the years.
Savita was 20 years outdated on the time of creating her Senior Team debut. She caught the eye of the selectors throughout her junior days with some age-defying performances and a pointy presence of thoughts. Her profession was constructed on some excellent performances together with essential saves within the penalty shoot-out recreation handy India the Bronze medal within the eighth version of the Asia Cup which was held in Malaysia in 2013.
She was adjudged the Goalkeeper of the Tournament on the Hockey World League Round 2 in Canada in 2017, and was additionally a part of the group that gained the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in 2016.
The 32-year-old has gained a number of accolades in her profession spanning over a decade together with the Arjuna Award. She was instrumental in India’s historic fourth-place end on the Tokyo Olympics. She was additionally a part of the group that participated within the Rio Olympics 2016, and was additionally a member of the group that made it to the Quarter-Finals of the Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup 2018 held in London.
As a Captain, she led the Indian facet to a Bronze medal on the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 and in addition impressed with a title win on the FIH Nations Cup which helped the group qualify for the FIH Pro League 2023-24.
“It is a very special moment for me to complete 250 International caps for India. The journey to this moment has seen several highs and lows and this milestone could not have been possible without the support of my teammates. I also thank Hockey India, SAI and Odisha Govt for their continued support for the Indian Women’s Team. We have many more targets to achieve and this milestone has only motivated me more to keep going strong,” acknowledged Savita as she acquired the 250th milestone jersey from chief coach Janneke Schopman.
Congratulating Savita, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey mentioned, “Savita has been a pillar of strength for Indian Women’s Hockey, standing strong in the goalpost. I congratulate her on completing this incredible milestone of completing 250 International Caps. She has been a huge inspiration to an entire generation of aspiring hockey players. I wish her the best in taking Indian Women’s Hockey to new heights.” (ANI)