With Virat Kohli-like aggression, Rutuja Pisal pursues an Olympic Hockey gold

She has been a regular feature in the junior Indian women’s hockey team and has been a recurring name at the senior national camp. She also played a vital role in India’s runner-up finish at the Hockey 5s World Cup last year, scoring seven goals.

So, when Harendra Singh handed Pisal her senior debut during the 2024-25 FIH Pro League leg in Bhubaneswar last month, the youngster eased into it.

Having received the ball inside the shooting circle, right in front of the goal post, Pisal ran around three defenders and the goalkeeper to slot the ball in.

She had against England, on debut.

A delightful fortnight

“I was never nervous (before the debut),” said Pisal in a conversation with The Bridge. “The fact that I had trained with the group before and was standby in a few tournaments helped.

“I was just excited,” she added.

In the very next match against Spain, Pisal found herself in the right position to deflect a ball coming in from the left flank.

Two goals in two matches – a brilliant way to announce her arrival. Not that she needed it.

Just over a fortnight earlier, Pisal had scored twice in the Women’s Hockey India Final. Having not scored throughout the tournament, she found the net when it mattered to guide the Schopman-led Odisha Warriors to the inaugural title.

As India failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics last year, lack of quality strikers who could pounce on the half chances and convert them into goals was an evident problem area.

Harendra Singh, since taking over as the coach, has blooded in a line of young forwards. Pisal is just one of the standouts.

The 22-year-old from Satara identifies this and is eager to better herself.

“Our team requires a good striker,” she said. “I want to fill in that gap.

“I want to improve my positioning inside the circle and deflection skills. I also want to earn more penalty corners for the team. These are the areas I am working on,” she added.

Early days

Pisal started out as a runner in her village of Kolki in Satara. She soon found her way to Pune’s Krida Prabhodhini after a trial.

In Pune, a young Pisal tried her hands at various sports from athletics, table tennis to gymnastics before being pushed into hockey.

It was former India international and the 1992 Barcelona Olympian Ajit Lakra, who first took a note of Pisal’s talent for hockey.

Watching her dribbling skills that helped her dodge defenders at an early age, Lakra realised Pisal’s potential as a forward – a position she continues to play till date.

Born in a family with no sports background – her father works with a private company while mother is a homemaker – Pisal was the first to take this direction.

“I have two sisters and a brother, none of them play. Neither of my parents or anyone in extended family played any sport,” she said. “Sports ka keeda maine start kiya. (I started the love for sports).

“My brother wants to play now. I am looking for good academies to get him started,” she added.

Pisal, like many athletes in the country, looks up to Virat Kohli. She wants to emulate the cricketer’s heroics in the hockey field.

“I look up to Virat Kohli for motivation,” she said.

“If you look, all my aggression comes out after I score a goal,” she added with a laugh.

Over the years Rutuja Pisal has turned into Rutaja Pisal, thanks to an error in her passport.

She has grown to embrace that. For it encapsulates her rise in the hockey field.

“When I first broke through, I did not know anything,” said Pisal. “I did not know what my goals are, how to set goals either.

“I just knew I wanted to play at the Olympics. Now I know what I need to do to reach there…but the ultimate goal remains winning an Olympic gold,” she added.