If we play well, we could represent India| By Lalremsiami

Hockey isn't that popular in Mizoram. When compared to football, no one really knows about the sport. So naturally when I started playing hockey in school, my family didn't know about the sport.

A teacher in school handed me a hockey stick and drafted me into the team. As I started playing, I started falling in love with the sport. I was soon drafted into the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Training Centre at the Thenzawl Hockey Academy, which was a major stepping stone.

At the academy, our seniors, coaches, and teachers all used to parrot the same thing, "If we play hockey well, we could represent our country; represent India."

That was a big motivating factor for a young Lalremsiami. I wanted to represent my country. 

International debut and early days

At 16, I was drafted into the National Hockey Academy in Delhi and then life changed. I made my senior international debut in 2017 against Belarus and have been a part of the Indian women's national team since.

In the early days, I wasn't fluent in English or Hindi. Communicating with teammates and coaches was difficult. But I gradually picked it up, speaking to them in training sessions. For me, training sessions weren't only about picking up hockey skills and understanding the sport deeply, but it was also about picking up the language and getting better off the field as well.

I owe quite a bit of my growth to the seniors in the national team. They were patient enough despite the early communication gap and hand held me through the process, guiding me. Now as a senior player in the setup, having played over 150 international matches, I try to be the same guiding force for the youngsters coming through the ranks.

Current struggles and Sjoerd Marijne's return

Off late, we have struggled as a team. But, I believe, its a part and parcel of the sport. Individual performances as well as team performances keep fluctuating, but the most important thing is to have the self belief and belief in the team that we'll bounce back stronger. 

Knowing what we need to work on and how we need to move forward is extremely important both as an individual and team. And I believe we have that clarity to dig ourselves up from this pit.

We've had Sjoerd Marijne rejoining the team as a coach just over a month ago after almost five years. I've played under him for India previously and if there's one thing I know about his approach it is that he demands the highest of levels from his players. He sets the standards high, and expects us to follow it.

He understands Indian hockey inside out; he knows the level of talent and skills our girls possess. His funda is simple, "I know you can score one or two goals every match, but you need to score more."

It doesn't matter if you are a junior or senior, he expects all of us to match his standards and achieve the targets he has set for us. It bodes well for Indian hockey.

Mizoram deserves better infrastructure

I've come a long way since I started playing hockey. I am the first women's hockey player from Mizoram to have played for India and now it fills me with joy when I see a lot of young kids in the state wanting to represent India.

The Tokyo Olympics campaign in 2021, where we finished fourth, played a great deal in popularising hockey in the state. Many tell me that, "After you played at the Olympics, we realised we Mizos can also play hockey."

There's a lot of excitement surrounding hockey in the state compared to what it was when I started playing. But we lack the required infrastructure. We don't have the required facilities or support to excel. It means that even when kids want to play, it is very difficult to keep going.

Its never about the talent. We need a proper hockey field first and once it is developed, I feel we'll produce even better players.