Who is the drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur of the Indian women's hockey team?

The women's hockey team of India scripted the glorious history by entering the semis at the Olympics for the very first time. They defeated the World No. 2 team Australia by 1-0 who hadn't lost a single game in their group stages. The win is big because this is the team who didn't win a single game at Rio Olympics and lost to Australia by a huge scoreline of 1-6 back then.

Their journey in Tokyo wasn't smooth from the beginning as they lost the initial three matches. But a comeback was on the cards as they cliched victories against Ireland and South Africa to enter the quarters. The Australian team was the heavy favorites to win this encounter as per their past performance and statistics.

Though India had other plans as they stood against all odds, all graphs, and data, every analysis and thrashed the Aussies with the drag flick of the superb Gurjit Kaur. So who is this Gurjit Kaur whose drag-flick helped India bag victory in this historic match?

Gurjit Kaur THE DRAG FLICKER

Gurjit Kaur is the strength of the Indian women's hockey defense line. India's designated drag-flicker is just 25 years old who got her permanent seat in the national team in 2017. Hailing from a Punjabi village, she has struggled from the initial stage of her life. She studied in a boarding school 70km away from home but her passion for hockey earned her a spot in a government school with free education and meals.

She was placed as the junior clerk in Allahabad before she received a call to play for the India women's team. Since her permanent position in 2017, she has been the dominant drag-flicker and the best one for India. In the 2018 Hockey World Cup, she was the most successful goal-scorer for the Indian team with 8 goals added to her name.

The turnaround in her drag-flicker career was when Sjoerd Marijne, their present coach who led them to this victory told her to change her stick. She said,

"The stick I used earlier felt light and I didn't get enough power. So when we went to Holland, marijne asked me to try drag flicking with a different stick. It was much better and I felt more powerful. The change has helped me."

Her performance has been extraordinary in another international tournament like the Commonwealth Games, Asia Cup, etc, and now is the biggest day of her life as she scores for India at the Tokyo Olympics helping the World No. 9 India to outperformance the tournament favorites Austalia in this heart throbbing quarter-final.