Indian Women's Hockey Defender Nikki Pradhan, who has played 112 matches for the national side, expressed that it's very important for the Indian team to build on its brilliant performance at the Tokyo Games in the upcoming months. The Indian Women's Hockey Team recorded its best-ever finish at the Olympic Games (fourth place) earlier this year.
When Indian Men's Hockey Team dragflicker and defender Varun Kumar didn't make the final team of 16 members, he was evidently disappointed. But when the IOC allowed hockey teams to expand their roster to 18 members with two P athletes, Varun's name featured in the team.
Having been promoted to the Senior Core Group from the Junior ranks, young defender Suman Devi Thoudam wants to make this opportunity count and learn all about playing under pressure from her counterparts who have returned from a historic outing in Tokyo. "I was in the Junior Camp here in SAI when the Olympics was going on and we were all glued to the TV during the Olympics. Every match India played was thrilling. Even though India couldn't start well, I feel they still India played extremely well against the Netherlands, Germany and Great Britain. They are much more experienced than our team and yet we held strong against them but fell short.
Former Indian Men’s Hockey Team Captain MM Somaya was a mainstay in the triumphant Indian side of the 1980s. Making his Olympic debut in the 1980 Moscow Olympics; where India clinched its 8th Olympic Gold medal, Somaya went on to play a vital role in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and finally lead the National Team as Captain in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Appearing as a guest on Hockey Te Charcha; a podcast series initiated by Hockey India, Somaya spoke fondly about the tight-knit group of players in the Indian team during his era.
Indian Men's Hockey Team's midfielder Nilakanta Sharma has over the years shown significant performances which has helped him cement his place in the team. At the recently held Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 where India won the historic bronze, Nilakanta was impressive in the midfield as his executed the team's plans and showed why he is a team player. He believes there is still a lot more for him to improve ahead of an important calendar year in 2022.
Young defender Udita, who was an integral part of the Indian Women's Hockey team that finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, expressed that staying in the present moment helped India bounce back from a series of losses in the initial phase and eventually script history in Tokyo.
Indian Men's Hockey Team Forward Shamsher Singh, who played a crucial role in India's Bronze Medal-winning campaign at the Tokyo Olympics, expressed that he is very fortunate to have had the chance of playing in the biggest sporting event during the nascent stage of his career. The national side defeated Germany 5-4 in the Tokyo Olympics Bronze Medal match on 05 August 2021 to end a 41-year Olympic Medal drought.