Deepika targets Asia Cup win
Veteran midfielder Deepika is targeting a win in the 2017 Asia Cup, which will help the Indian women’s hockey team qualify for the World Cup next year.
The team is set to embark on an 11-day tour of New Zealand on May 12, followed by the 2017 Hockey World League Semi-Final in South Africa from July 8 to 22.
The two tournaments will help prepare for the October 25 to November 5 Asia Cup in Japan.
“We have set goals for this year and I believe the team is progressing well. I am confident we can improve our world ranking in the coming year,” she said.
Deepika is presently in action at the seventh Senior National Championship 2017 A Division, from where she will join a national camp in SAI, Bengaluru, ahead of the New Zealand tour.
She has guided her employers, Railway Sports Promotion Board, to the quarter-finals of the nationals and is optimistic of defending the title this year. The RSPB women’s team have won the national championship successively since 2014.
“We have topped our group and are through to the quarter-finals. From here on, there is only one goal that is to reach the final and win the title. There is no question of getting beaten,” she said.
Deepika, with a career spanning over a decade, recently played her 200th international. She said playing for the country was an honour and that she felt motivated when young players said they look up to her for guidance.
“You get to rub shoulders with so many young players and they come up to me and tell me that they are inspired by watching me play with or against them here at the nationals. It’s a great feeling for me,” she said.
Deepika was instrumental in India’s maiden win at the fourth women’s Asian Champions Trophy last year. Her career includes appearances at the Commonwealth Games, World Cup as well as the 2016 Rio Olympics, India’s first appearance in the mega event in 36 years.
“Many of them come up to me and ask me questions about how it was playing at the Olympics. They ask me how difficult is it to stay away from home during national camps and how I have managed to beat the odds of playing hockey despite being from a conservative background from Yamuna Nagar in Haryana. When they tell me, my story motivates them to pursue hockey professionally, it motivates me as well to continue to do what I am doing,” she said.