Recently, Rani was seen in a different role in the inaugural women’s Hockey India League where she served as the mentor for the Soorma Hockey Club. (Express photo by Pritish Raj)
The start wasn’t ideal for the Haryana women’s hockey team in the final of National Games final against Madhya Pradesh on Thursday at the Vandana Katariya Hockey Stadium in Haridwar. They trailed 0-1 at halftime in the gold medal match and were struggling. However, their captain and Indian hockey legend Rani Rampal inspired the team to a fine comeback, as Haryana banged four goals past Madhya Pradesh to clinch gold. And after the game ended, another huddle talk followed where Rani asked her players to soak in the moment and enjoy the medal.
“I told them to be themselves and don’t worry about the result,” Rani said after the match. “A good leader is the one who gets the best out of their players and I did just that in the halftime.” It wasn’t just her words that inspired Haryana’s win. The former Indian captain Rani was back on the field after a long time and playing in her fifth national games, she finished the tournament as top scorer with six goals.
Talking about her return to the hockey turf, Rani – who announced her international retirement in October – told The Indian Express, “I feel good coming back on the turf after so long. I always enjoy playing hockey and it turned out to be another good experience for me and besides I was leading the Haryana team, so it felt good.”
Haryana captain and Indian hockey legend Rani Rampal inspired the team to a fine comeback, as Haryana banged four goals past Madhya Pradesh to clinch gold. (Express Photo by Pritish Raj)
Recently, the 30-year-old was seen in a different role in the inaugural women’s Hockey India League where she served as the mentor for the Soorma Hockey Club. “It was a completely new experience for me and it was different for me as well. I am used to being on the field but being in the dugout is also an experience. It’s a new learning for me.”
While Rani has decided to call time on her international career, she is still looking to play hockey in the domestic circuit along with her new role in coaching and mentoring. “It’s a good thing to balance both playing and coaching. In Europe, a lot of players do both but it’s different in India. It’s a lot of work and the mindset required for it is completely different,” she said.
“When I am playing with youngsters, as an experienced player I have to do both. As a captain and leader, I need to get the best out of my players and hence I act as both a captain and a coach,” she added. In Indian hockey, senior and international players hardly feature in domestic tournaments like senior national championships and national games. “It is important for senior players to play in the domestic tournaments. When I was young, I used to look at the players from the national team and wanted to play like them. I am sure that a lot of young players look upto us when we play in such tournaments,” she concluded.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
