Good opportunity for Indians and foreigners to learn from each other: Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers' Udita Duhan

The most expensive player in Women’s HIL auction, Udita Duhan, speaks about how the price tag doesn’t create pressure.

A new era for Indian hockey dawned, with the commencement of the Women’s Hockey India League on 12th January. This is the first time, for any sport, that a league is being held at the national level in India, with both the men’s and women’s competitions being played simultaneously.

While the best players in the world, from nations like the Netherlands, Germany and Australia are competing, one must keep an eye out for young local talents as well as senior Indian players. Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers’ Udita Duhan is one such player, whose form will play a crucial role in the success of her team.

The team skipper, who was also the most expensive player in the Women’s HIL auction, is already a veteran having played 123 matches for the senior team. The 27-year-old, who made her debut in 2017, was part of the outfit which finished fourth at Tokyo Olympics 2020. She has won two Asian Games medals (silver at Jakarta 2018 and bronze at Hangzhou 2022) and one Commonwealth Games medal (bronze at Birmingham 2022).

Udita primarily plays as a defender and will have a big role in a side, which interestingly has unconventional overseas options in the form of Irish Roisin Upton and American Ashley Joy Hoffman, apart from uncapped Indians. She is also capable of pushing forward, creating chances and sometimes scoring goals, as shown by her tally of 12 international goals.

However, her franchisee may not need her to press high here, considering they have established names like Stewart Grace Carmel, Ambre Ballenghien and Vandana Katariya who can do that.

The Indian international was kind enough to give Khel Now an exclusive interview. She discussed about the team’s preparation, what her big price tag meant to her and her experience with youngsters.

General mood

The Women’s Hockey India League is a watershed moment not only for Indian hockey, but the sport as a whole. Such an initiative can take the sport a long way forward. Udita had nothing but optimism in her voice, when she spoke about the general mood.

“It feels very nice that the Women’s Hockey India League is starting. We are very excited and are passionate to play. Let’s hope for the good.”

Also Read: Navneet Kaur looking forward to new challenge of captaincy and playing alongside Emma Puvrez

Preparations

With international and local players coming together, the preparation needs to focus on co-ordination, more than individual training. The Tigers skipper feels that the team has settled down.

“Our preparations have gone well. The combinations with the foreign players have started clicking. There are Indian seniors, juniors and foreigners at various positions. The communication is fine, and we are getting to know each other’s strengths.”

Handling youngsters

The success of any franchisee league in any sport generally depends on the form of local players, especially the rookies. It is necessary to make them feel comfortable in the team environment and prevent them from feeling awe-struck. Udita, however, feels that most of the uncapped players in the side are reasonably mature.

“The youngsters don’t exactly need handling. They have been in age group camps previously and represented the Indian junior team. So, it’s not too difficult to handle them. And I am not the only senior. There is Vandana Katariya, who has 300 caps. We have Sushila Chanu and Lalremsiami. So, we all are working together.”

Also Read: Hockey India League: Top five most expensive Indian players at women’s auction

Playing with overseas stars

The league provides an opportunity for domestic players, especially youngsters, to share the same dressing room with overseas stars. It is a chance for the various players to learn about different styles of play and methods of preparation.

“There are many things to learn. We can get to know more about their (foreign players) mindset, how they prepare themselves before a match. Mind you, there are a number of Indian players who are among the best in the world. So hopefully, even the overseas players can take home some learnings from here. It is a two-way thing, not one-sided.”

New coach

The Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers have appointed Glenn Turner, a great of the sport, as the coach for the women’s team. The former Australian forward has scored 90 goals in 136 matches. He is a two-time World Cup winner and was also part of the squad which clinched the bronze medal at the London Olympics 2012. Apart from this, he also has prior experience of the Hockey India League, having featured in the earlier version. Udita has enjoyed training under the big man.

“He was one of Australia’s best strikers during his time. I have practiced under him before and have got a second opportunity now. My experience under him has been very good till now. I have managed to learn a lot of new things. His experience will be invaluable for us.”

Also Read: Top 10 players to watch out for in Women’s Hockey India League 2025

High price tag

The athlete from Haryana was the most expensive player at the auctions. The Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers had to stave off some intense bidding, before they secured her services at an amount of Rs. 32 lakhs, out of a total purse of Rs. 2 Cr. Udita expressed her joy and claimed that the big amount was a pleasant surprise.

“I was very happy that I got the highest bid. That also means that the responsibilities are higher. I wasn’t expecting such a big amount. Before the auctions, I was a bit nervous about what would happen. But everything went well. So, I am very happy.”

Across the globe, in different sports, there have been instances of players failing to perform to their potential, as a result of huge price tags. The 27-year-old, though, was having none of it. She said that the lumpsum motivates her and she wanted to keep its importance in her mind, rather than shunning it as pressure.

“I don’t need to keep it out of my mind. I just need to put in extra efforts. The fact that I got the highest bid doesn’t create extra pressure on me or the team. The team is very supportive and everything is going well. After playing for so long, if we take unnecessary pressure, it’s not a good thing.”

Also Read: Women’s Hockey India League Auction: Top 10 most expensive players

Playing in Ranchi

The Women’s Hockey India League will be played at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Stadium in Ranchi (apart from two matches in Rourkela). Udita was pumped to play in a city, where she has played numerous games previously.

“I feel Ranchi has the best stadium for hockey. Personally, it is my favourite ground. The support from the crowd here inspires us to play with more intensity. It’s obviously not our first time here, we have gotten used to the conditions here.”

Performance of the men’s team

In the Men’s Hockey India League, the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers had a stunning start with three successive wins. While two defeats after that have halted their progress, they are still present in the top four. Udita expressed elation at the team’s performances, but was firm that she wouldn’t want to do any comparisons between the two sides or take extra pressure due to the performances of their counterparts.

“That won’t put us under pressure. They are trying to put in their best and so will we. We don’t want to compare. Our team is doing very well. Hopefully, we can replicate that. As for the results, that’s for later.”

Also Read: Young Deepika Sehrawat explains how she handles mental stress and why forwards don’t become drag-flick specialists

Upcoming talents in Indian team

The Indian team has seen a number of new entrants, including the likes of Deepika Sehrawat and Sunelita Toppo, who is just 17! As a senior, Udita has a huge role to play in this period of transition.

“My experience with the youngsters has been very good till now. The juniors are doing very well and working hard. From our side, the only thing we can do is support them, which we are doing. Hopefully, we manage to maintain our combinations with them in future.

Staying in the present

With the side having shockingly failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024, they would want to make amends, with the World Cup being held next year and the Los Angeles Games in 2028. While the players would have these big-ticket events in the back of their minds, it is also important to realize that even one year is huge in competitive sport. Udita has reiterated the need to stay in the present, rather than thinking too far ahead.

“At this point, we just want to think about the HIL. This is the first challenge. If you are running a marathon, you have to start well, to finish properly. This tournament is a good place to start for us. At an instant, you should only focus on one thing, rather than thinking about the future. Obviously, those are targets, but this is the first thing.”

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