The Great Wall of India Follow your dreams, stay committed and do everything you can to achieve what you have set out for no matter what the odds are: Savita Punia

Indian Women's Hockey Team has emerged from the dark into the spotlight following the team's fourth-placed finish, just falling short of the bronze medal. However, the grit, the passion and the heart they displayed to secure a fourth placed finish won the hearts of the people of India. The team also secured a bronze medal in the 2022 Muscat Asian Cup and at the center of their effort to secure a bronze medal was the team's captain Savita Punia.

Savita's journey in hockey started when her grandfather pushed her to play hockey.

She was a lazy, easy-go-lucky kid."I started enjoying the sport and I also received a lot of support from my family, who despite the norm in Haryana where daughters are not allowed to play sport, were very supportive all along," said Savita.

According to Savita, the love and the respect that the team received after the Olympics was overwhelming. Furthermore, she felt that the hardwork that had put in the training sessions was being recognised by the world. She believes India as an opponent is extremely tough. The fourthplaced finish at the Olympics and the third-placed finish at the Asian Cup left a bitter taste. "We were there as defending Champions, so in that sense, a third-place finish was not something we were aiming for. But none the less we achieved the qualification for FIH Women's World Cup which was most important," shared the31- year old skipper. The upcoming competition for the Indian National Women's Hockey team would be the 2022 World Cup that will be hosted in the Netherlands and Spain.

"Follow your dreams, stay committed and do everything you can to achieve what you have set out for no matter what the odds are," advises Savita Punia to the next-gen hockey stars.