As the crowd chants India slogans, this sports captain of the Indian team forgets all the hardships faced in the journey and has only one goal in mind: winning a medal for India! On International Women’s Day, today we are saluting the women who have brought sporting glory to India with podium finishes last year.
Your daughter is blind, why will she play cricket: Deepika, captain of the Indian women’s blind cricket team.
“The day we won the World Cup, everything changed,” says Deepika TC. The captain of the Indian women’s blind cricket team, which created history by winning the first Women’s T20 World Cup for the Blind last November, is still that innocent girl from a village in Andhra Pradesh who faced constant discrimination, yet overcame all odds to earn her family’s fortune!
“I was just five months old when I accidentally dug my nails into my eyes,” says the 23-year-old girl, describing how that playful incident caused her irreparable harm, leaving her bruised and gradually becoming partially blind.
But nothing could shake his resolve! “I am the eldest; I have two younger brothers. I had decided very early in life that if I had a girl, I would improve my family’s life… When I turned 18, someone told my father that they could get me treated. My father loved me and wanted to take a loan for my treatment. But, I stopped him and said ‘Many people will achieve a lot despite a lot of difficulties.'” Are scarlet. So why not me?’ The first thing I did after winning the World Cup was to repay the loan that my father had taken to support our family. That was the proudest day of my life.”
Apart from fighting the physical challenge of visual impairment, this cricketer endured all the bullying and harsh comments that came his way – including taunts from neighbors and being bullied in school. Overcoming these and other obstacles, she took the responsibility of helping to resolve her family’s financial situation as she thought it was her duty to do so as the eldest of three siblings. She shares, “There have been difficulties at every step but I was never disappointed because I was born with a lot of self-confidence. When I was a young school girl, even though I had no eyesight, I was always very excited to play different sports… I still remember how the neighbors in our village used to taunt my parents, “Your daughter is a storm, if she can’t study then why will she play cricket!”
But he had no idea that Deepika was not one to improve her game. “The day we won the World Cup, the same neighbor came to my parents and told them, ‘I saw your daughter’s picture in the newspaper’. When my parents told me this, I could feel the pride in their voices.”
We deserve more equality and respect: Indian women’s Kabaddi team captain Ritu
One moment that strengthened the position of Indian women in sports in the past year has been the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup. It was Ritu Negi who led the Indian women’s Kabaddi team to victory.
But, when he first started playing Kabaddi, he faced many challenges. “Kabaddi is played in shorts, and that in itself was a big thing for someone coming from a small town. When I started playing in my home in Himachal Pradesh, everyone questioned, ‘Kabaddi khel kar kya hoga, koi career thodi banegi mein’. But it was my family who never let me listen to outside noise,” says the 33-year-old.
“When you win, you pave the way for the next generation of young girls, because they want more equality when it comes to women in sports,” says Ritu. “We won the World Cup and yet are not invited and respected like other team sports. Facilities, equipment, resources – we have to compromise everywhere. We deserve more respect and equality!”
Indeed, the World Cup victory was about proving a point. “Winning the World Cup means we showed the country that if given an equal opportunity, we can make the country proud. Winning on the world stage was a big moment for women’s kabaddi in India, but I still feel disappointed,” says Ritu, who has often broken barriers and fought against all odds, as she believes “women are yet to overcome many challenges in the game”.
She says that despite the struggles, the team is working hard to make the country proud. “We have got used to it and we are still working really hard to win for our country. But I hope the next generation of girls who want to represent India in our sport will be given more opportunities… Both boys and girls work hard, medals also come late. Just treat us equally. We just want to get the same facilities, resources, love and respect as the men’s team.”
If you have talent, nothing can stop you: India women’s national ice hockey team captain Tsewang Chuskit
Hardly anyone knew that India had a women’s ice hockey team, until the women on skates created history by giving India its first medal – a bronze at the IIHF Asia Cup. Team captain, Tsewang Chuskit still sees this moment as a full circle journey as well as a pioneering step for Indian women in sports.
“I remember in 2016, when we were traveling together for the first time as the India women’s ice hockey team, people at the airport saw our jerseys and told us that they didn’t even know India had a women’s team in this sport. And last year, when we won the bronze medal, when we were returning home a lot of little girls came up to us and said they wanted to play like us. Being an example for young dreamers is bigger than any medal or trophy. Was,” shares Chuskit. Takes pride in making India’s mark on the global stage.
“My girls and I have created history and put Indian ice hockey on the world map,” says the 32-year-old. He further said, “We have shown that India can excel even in elite sports and we have the talent to win medals. If we get more support in terms of finances and fan support, we will bring a gold medal next time, and not just one, wherever we go.”
Recalling her love for the sport from her childhood in Ladakh, she explains: “My house is near Pangong Lake, and it remains frozen for months. In the beginning, I learned the sport just for fun. But gradually I realized what ice hockey really is and that I could become a good player at it and dedicate my life to the sport.”
The captain believes that moments like International Women’s Day are an opportunity to highlight inspirational journeys. “When young girls across the country read stories of women in sports who have overcome challenges to achieve their dreams, it inspires them to believe in themselves. That’s why it’s important to highlight these stories in days like these. I want girls across this country to never listen to people who doubt them. If you know you have talent, you should never let anything stop you!”
Playing sports is not a privilege but a right we have earned: Salima Tete, Indian women’s field hockey team captain
India women’s national field hockey team has become a team that not only enters the stadium with its head held high, but also comes out having defeated the best in the business! Captain Salima Tete has witnessed this change first-hand, from the days when girls would hesitantly pick up a hockey stick to now when the new generation takes to the field with a determined mindset. After winning the silver medal at the Women’s Hockey Asia Cup 2025, the team’s progress reflects a sea change in the confidence of young Indian women in the sport.
Salima, who will receive the Arjuna Award in 2024, says, “When you believe in yourself, even the strongest opponent does not seem impossible and that is the spirit of confidence I see in the upcoming juniors. They know they are ours because we win on the biggest stage.” She further added, “Earlier women used to step on the field with a lot of hesitation because they were unsure of their ability and the society always doubted them. But today, when young Indian girls take the field, you can feel this new confidence that they come with, which is the biggest change. Playing sports is no longer a privilege but a right, which the women of India have fought for and earned, we are doing well in all sports.”
“Earlier, people in villages didn’t even know what hockey was, but now they see us playing and they realize that if girls are given a chance, they can achieve a lot,” says the 24-year-old, who hails from a village in Jharkhand. She believes that girls’ journey in sports still largely depends on the support they get from their families, and adds: “I still hear stories of girls being married off at a very young age and their dreams being dashed. But things are slowly changing and I think the future will be better. In my case, my parents always supported me. My father loved hockey and whenever there was a tournament he would tell me that I should go and play. That encouragement is everything.”
“If you really want something, you should stand up for it,” says Tate, who tells young girls to develop courage and self-confidence. She adds, “Sometimes we hold ourselves back because we feel pressure from family or society. At least try to talk to your parents and make them understand your dream. And if you know in your heart that you have the talent, don’t let anyone stop you. You have to fight for your dreams. The women of India will move forward and bring many more medals in the years to come.”
I am my biggest inspiration: India women’s Kho Kho team captain Priyanka Ingle
When Priyanka Ingle led her team to lift the trophy of the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup 2025 held in India, the pressure she faced was one of its kind. But she and the ladies in blue didn’t crack under it! The 25-year-old says, “All of us girls have come from backgrounds and have faced rejection and negativity ever since we stepped into sports. So, for us, to go through all this and then reach a stage in our lives where we get a chance to wear the India jersey is a huge achievement. There is no way we can’t win the World Cup because the fire inside us can’t be stopped.”
The Pune-born player shared that while most people look for inspiration outside, she found it within herself, “Yes, there are many women I have looked up to, my seniors, from other sports. But the one woman I look up to the most is me. I am my biggest inspiration. Girls have a lot of strength. We (proved) it in Kho-Kho, some in other sports. And not just sports, Indian women have proved it in every field.” region…we will continue to shine and make our country a better place where young girls do not have to face the same challenges that we had to face in the past.”
Follow for more information HT City Delhi Junction
