No recognition for team that’s taking India to the Olympics

Indian women’s hockey team has qualified for the 2016 Olympics after 36 years. But despite the historic achievement, the team’s captain Ritu Rani is disappointed, as the women’s team does not get as much importance as the men’s team. “A lot of people have been congratulating us, but I don’t think it’s enough. Jitni attention hamari men’s team ko milti hai, ya aur doosri sports teams ko milti hai, agar utni hume bhi mile to achcha lagega,” she says.

However, the 23-yearold believes that the achievement will help her and her team make India proud at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “We have made history and it’s a great feeling. We want to use this confidence and prove ourselves in Rio de Janeiro. We worked very hard to get here, and I’m positive that we’ll continue to do the same. The whole team is in a very positive frame of mind. that’s why we will perform really well,” she says.

While the halfback says she can be a “very serious person” in the dressing room, she admits that too much pressure on the players can impact their confidence level. “I really remain serious ... that’s how I am (laughs). But as a captain, I have to make sure that I don’t let the pressure get to my players. Ours is not a very tense dressing room. Our forwards — Punam (Barla) and Vandana (Kataria) — love cracking jokes and playing pranks. We listen to music a lot, which also helps us. It’s not really tough to manage the pressure,” she says.

Jitni attention hamari men’s team ko milti hai ... agar utni hume bhi mile to achcha lagega Ritu Rani, women’s hockey team captain