Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 21 (ANI): India’s goalkeeper Savita Punia on Monday grew to become the most-capped participant within the historical past of Indian girls’s hockey, surpassing the earlier report of 320 senior worldwide appearances held by former India striker Vandana Katariya.Â
Savita reached the milestone throughout India’s Pool B fixture in opposition to Indonesia on the ongoing Asian Games in Japan, including one other landmark to a profession already outlined by longevity, composure and clutch performances beneath strain, as per a press launch from Hockey India.Â
In recognition of the achievement, Hockey India introduced a money reward of Rs 10 lakh for Savita.
Known throughout the hockey world as ‘The Wall of India’ for her shot-stopping abilities in open play and her nerveless report in penalty shoot-outs, the 36-year-old Savita made her senior worldwide debut in 2009. Since then, she has been ever-present by three Olympic Games, two Asian Games campaigns, the Commonwealth Games and a number of Asian Champions Trophy and FIH Pro League seasons — evolving from a promising younger shot-stopper into the spine and long-time captain of the Indian girls’s staff, earlier than the present skipper Salima Tete took over.
Savita reached her three hundredth worldwide cap in February 2025 in opposition to the Netherlands within the FIH Hockey Pro League, changing into solely the second Indian girl — after Vandana — to cross the 300-cap mark, and solely the second Indian goalkeeper, after PR Sreejesh, to take action. She equalled Vandana’s all-time report of 320 caps on September 20, 2026, in India’s emphatic 19-0 win over Uzbekistan within the Asian Games 2026 opener, earlier than going previous it on Monday.
Career Highlights
-Three-time FIH Goalkeeper of the Year (2020, 2021, 2023)
-Vice-captain of the India staff that completed a historic fourth on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
-Part of the staff that completed fifth at FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 – finest end in 52 years
-Captained India to a bronze medal on the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, sealed with a match-winning penalty shootout efficiency
-Led India to the inaugural FIH Nations Cup title in 2022
-Recipient of the Arjuna Award (2018) and the Padma Shri (2025)
-Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year (2015, 2024)
-Hockey India Balbir Singh Senior Award for Player of the Year (2021, 2022, 2024)
The report Savita has now surpassed was set by Vandana, India’s all-time main goal-scorer, who made her worldwide debut in 2009 — the identical yr as Savita — and retired in April 2025 after 320 caps and 158 objectives throughout a 16-year profession that included a historic Olympic hat-trick on the Tokyo Games and the Padma Shri.
Speaking after the match, Savita stated, “I want to start by saying thank you — to my family, my coaches, my teammates and every single person who has stood behind me since I was a young girl learning to save my first penalty corner. Honestly, I never thought I would reach this milestone.”
“When I started, I was just trying to earn my place in the team and make my family proud. I never imagined I would one day be called the most-capped player in the history of Indian women’s hockey. This record doesn’t belong to me alone — it belongs to everyone who has played alongside me, and to Vandana too, because she set the bar and pushed all of us to reach higher. My biggest hope now is that the younger generation coming up sees this and believes it’s possible for them too. I want them to keep growing, keep working and keep dreaming big for Indian hockey. This game has given me everything, and I will keep giving back to it for as long as I can.”
Praising Savita on her longevity, Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey stated, ‘Savita’s report is a testomony to twenty years of self-discipline and quiet management. She has been the spine of this staff, and right now’s milestone is totally deserved.’
Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh stated, ‘On behalf of Hockey India, congratulations to Savita on this historic achievement. Her journey is an inspiration for each younger goalkeeper dreaming of carrying the India jersey.’
India’s girls’s hockey staff continues its marketing campaign on the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, which additionally serves as a direct qualification pathway to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. (ANI)