From Kho Kho to Hockey: Rutaja Pisal's Inspiring Rise to Team India

Hailing from Phaltan, a small village in the Satara district in Maharashtra, Rutaja's journey into hockey began somewhat unexpectedly. "Before hockey, we used to play Kho Kho in school. It is very popular in Maharashtra. Our teachers noticed that we could run well and had good stamina, and they encouraged us to get into hockey. From there my journey began," she shared.

"I started playing when I was around 12 years old. I had to give a fitness and endurance test to get into my academy in Pune. I passed the test and that is where I started playing hockey," she added.

Coming from a village where women playing sports was uncommon, Rutaja acknowledged the support she received during her early years. "In my village it was not very common for girls to play hockey. At that time families were still thinking whether they should send their kids outside for sports or not, but a coach in our village supported us and encouraged us to go ahead," she said. From there Rutaja made her way from state and national level tournaments to the junior team where she helped India win the Women's Junior Asia Cup in 2023 and earned a spot in the senior camp.

Rutaja has now been part of the senior national camp for over two years and believes the experience has helped her grow significantly as a player. "There are many similarities between the junior and senior camps, but the intensity needed to train with senior players is much higher. Being in the camp for the last couple of years has helped me improve a lot," she explained.

Despite operating primarily in the middle of the park, her intelligent movement inside the circle makes her a constant goal threat, as she has already registered seven goals in her 20 appearances for the senior side. This is majorly because Rutaja also has plenty experience playing as a forward under her belt.

"I am currently playing as a midfielder, but earlier I used to play as a forward. In the team, sometimes there are more players in one position and fewer in another, so we have to be ready to adapt and contribute wherever the team needs us," she explained.

Speaking about the team's current focus, Rutaja emphasised the importance of the upcoming tournaments. "Right now our main goal is to qualify for the FIH Hockey World Cup. After that, of course, the big dream is the LA Olympics. We want to qualify for every major tournament and perform well," she stated with confidence.

On a personal note, Rutaja added, "My strength is scoring goals and creating penalty corners so I am working on that. I am also focusing on regaining the ball quickly and my dribbling speed. I need to push myself even more and support my teammates in tough situations so that we can keep getting better as a unit."

- IANS