Privilege to represent India says Vandana Kataria

Ranchi: Hockey India  congratulated Indian women’s hockey team forward Vandana Kataria for completing 300 international matches. Vandana, who hails from Roshanabad in Uttarakhand, achieved the feat during India’s match against Japan in the ongoing Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023. India won this match 2-1. With this, Vandana also became the first female player from India to play 300 international games.

India are unbeaten so far in the ongoing Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023, winning their first game against Thailand 7-1, thrashing Malaysia 5-0 in their second and then thrashing China 2-0 in a thrilling encounter. Defeated by -1. After this the Indian women’s hockey team defeated Japan 2-1. The team will face Korea on 2 November 2023.

Vandana came into limelight when she was the top scorer for the Indian team at the Junior Women’s World Cup in Mönchengladbach, Germany and played a key role in helping the team win the bronze medal. He also played a key role in India’s historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She is also the first Indian female hockey player to score a hat-trick in the Olympic Games.

He has also been honored with the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2022. The experienced forward was a member of the Indian team that won the 2016 Asian Champions Trophy and 2017 Women’s Asia Cup. She helped the team clinch a bronze medal at the 2022 Asia Cup, finish third in the FIH Pro League 2021/22 and then win the FIH Nations Cup 2022. He also has a 2022 Commonwealth bronze medal to his name.

Commenting on the achievement, Vandana said, “I have been privileged to represent India in national and international tournaments. Earning my 300th cap is truly a special moment for me and the memory of it will remain in my mind for a long time. The journey has really been It has been special and I feel blessed to wear the national jersey again and again. I thank Hockey India, my teammates and the support staff for their continued support over the years.”

Hockey India President Padmashree Dr Dilip Tirkey congratulated Vandana Kataria on the achievement and said, “I congratulate Vandana Kataria on earning her 300th international cap. It is a great experience for any player to wear the Indian jersey and play for such a long time. “It is truly a moment to represent the country. His journey has been nothing but extraordinary and I hope we see more great performances from him going forward.”