By Sahil Kohli

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 1 (ANI): Following her international hockey retirement, Indian forward Vandana Katariya opened up on bidding adieu to the game and the highs and lows of her career, calling the 2013 Junior Hockey World Cup and Tokyo Olympics 2020 the highs of her career, which also saw her deal with injuries and personal loss while being with the team.

With 320 international appearances and 158 goals to her name, Vandana is the most-capped player in the history of Indian women's hockey. But beyond the numbers, she leaves behind an inspiring legacy--a tale of resilience, quiet determination, and a relentless hunger to push Indian women's hockey to greater heights. The 32-year-old forward, who made her senior team debut in 2009, was an integral part of some of the most defining moments in the sport, including India's historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she became the first and only Indian woman to score a hat-trick at the Games.

Speaking to ANI following her retirement, Vandana opened up on her retirement saying, 'It has been a long career and obviously I do not feel good about it (retirement). It is very difficult to make such a decision for a player in their careers but they have to take it.'

On whether there was any moment which forced her to think about retirement during her recent outings in the FIH Women's Hockey Pro League this year, Vandana said that she just thought to herself that she should retire but it was a very 'difficult and sad' decision for her to make.

'But I am happy that the young players are coming and doing well. They have given the country a medal in the Asian Games (silver in 2018 and bronze in 2022). The players are doing well and they will do even better in the future, with the World Cup and Olympics coming,' she added.

Speaking about her most memorable moments in the Indian shirt, Vandana named the 2013 Junior World Cup bronze and fourth-place finish in the Tokyo Olympics as the high points of her career.

'The most memorable win was in 2013, when I saw a medal won for the country for the first time ever. It was such a proud moment. It was something that changed the society. We played in Germany for that World Cup (and beat England for bronze medal on penalties). We qualified for the Rio Olympics 2016 and finished last. But we qualified with a good feeling. We wanted to play and compete. We also won a gold at Asia Cup (2017) as we kept playing,' she said.

'Tokyo Olympics was also most memorable as before that, I had lost my father and I was in quarantine due to COVID-19 pandemic. I also faced an ankle injury. But when we are with our team through such tough moments, we can do anything. The coaches really helped us win the match against South Africa where I scored a hat-trick, it was really memorable,' she added.

Vandana, a senior who guided several youngsters within the team, feels that she has left the team in a much better position than it was when she joined it.

'Yes, the players who are young are very talented and you must have seen it in the Pro League and other tournaments. The seniors, including Savita Punia, Sushila Chanu, I, Salima Tete etc help a lot of players on and off the field. These youngsters have a lot of knowledge about what needs to be done in diet and fitness to achieve high performance. I have shared my experience with my fellow forwards. I think a lot of good players are going to join the team, and India will get many medals in years to come,' she added.

Speaking on experiencing the sorrow of missing out on Tokyo Olympics bronze after loss to Great Britain or being happy about bringing India so deep into the Olympics, Vandana said that while one feels sad to lose something after coming so close to it, it is also important to learn from it and move forward.

'Now, we have so much confidence that we will compete hard irrespective of the opposition. Earlier, we used to get scared of losing before even playing, would concede goals. But now, we believe in us that we will compete and win. For this, we will have to be fit and honest with ourselves about our work,' she added.

Vandana also said that when a player receives his/her Indian jersey for the first time, they should realise its value and be passionate about it right from the start.

Thanking all the parties involved in supporting her and the team in her career, Vandana said, 'First of all, I would like to thank the whole country. I would also like to thank the UP government, which has always supported us. The Uttarakhand government, no matter how big or small, has always stood by us. Hockey India, SAI (Sports Authority of India), Bangalore, which has become our home. Hockey India has always been there for us for all our needs.'

'The most important thing is our family. We have our own family. We lived with them for so long. But now, we do not get to do so, since we stayed at hostel, with our team. It is emotional to stay away from them and it is not easy. All the hockey fans who have supported us, who wanted us to do well, all the well-wishers, I would like to thank them all,' she added.

In her message for the Indian team which will play the future tournaments, particularly the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Vandana said that the current crop of players can do anything.

'They can win us medals in Olympics, World Cup, Asian Games, even gold. There are so many youngsters who are talented and seniors who help them. They have a lot of potential. I have a lot of hope from them. They should keep working hard, improving themselves with regards to finishing, penalty corners etc,' she concluded. (ANI)