Walk The Talk With India Women Hockey Players: Full Transcript

In this episode of Walk The Talk, two very special members of the Women's Hockey Team speak on always keeping their eyes on the Ball and how focused they were which made sure that after 36 years the Indian Hockey Team qualified for the Olympics. Ritu Rani, Captain of the team, says, "Attack and defence are both my job." Sushila Chanu, member of the team, says, "We are not afraid of players that are double our size." They narrate their story of how from little known places from India they have achieved all they are today with only hard work and determination.

Following is the full transcript of the show:

Shekhar Gupta: Hello and welcome to Walk the Talk, I am Shekhar Gupta at Delhi's Dhyanchand hockey stadium flaunting a hockey stick and doing it with great pride and joy because my guests for today are two most wonderful women, members of the Indian women's hockey team which has, on paper, qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 36 years, but in effect for the first time ever because 36 years back was Moscow, where most teams were not playing because of the boycott of Afghanistan. So Ritu Rani, Captain of the Indian hockey team, right half mid fielder and left defender Sushila Chanu. Tell your full name.

Sushila Chanu: Pukhrambam Sushila Chanu.

Shekhar Gupta: And you play defence at the left. And Ritu Rani you attack also and defend, also roam around here and there and Sushila Chanu you defend. And I have heard when the opposition takes a penalty corner you are the fourth thrasher, you are the last person left with the goalkeeper. Tell me the feeling, how does it feel when you are the last one left with goalkeeper with your hockey stick and with your...

Sushila Chanu: Only shin guards and face mask.

Shekhar Gupta: It's quite dangerous because people now use drag flicks, so what is the feeling when the ball comes to you with that speed?

Sushila Chanu: Firstly, when we used to practice it was very scary but now doing it I don't feel afraid, when we make eye-to-eye contact with the ball we can easily save.

Shekhar Gupta: So you look the ball in the eye. Keep the ball in the eye and see.

Ritu Rani: We have to fully concentrate.

Shekhar Gupta: Ritu, you like to defend or attack?

Ritu Rani: No, my work is to do both so I like both to defend and attack.

Shekhar Gupta: But what did you enjoy the most? First you were the centre forward.

Ritu Rani: I enjoy attacking but have to do both the things.

Shekhar Gupta: So tell me, you have played so well in last one and a half, two years and you are all junior team players. Essentially it's the same junior team, which had won the bronze medal in the Junior World Cup and after that your coach brought you to the senior team. You took about one year to settle down and now you are senior right? And in your team you have seniors also and juniors also. At this time juniors are playing outside, so tell me the progress. How did the Women's team succeed so much? You are the Captain and she is the defender and without defender nothing happens.

Ritu Rani: No, the team, which recently played the World Cup in 2013, got the medal. First they were in the junior team, then entered into the senior team and from the past 2-3 years they are continuously in the senior team, so that has increased their experience and it became easier for them to play in the World Cup. It matters with the experienced player, that's why tension is reduced and get to know and knowledge increases, that if we are in the senior team then it becomes easier to play in the junior team.

Shekhar Gupta: You have played in the past, you play with the European teams, those girls are elder to you, and are in double, triple size than you, their training is also good, and speed is also good, so how do you prepare for them? Sometimes do you feel afraid?

Ritu Rani: No, as such we don't feel afraid but we need more speed. If you compare us with them we need more speed and the way they play with the body, when we play matches here we don't use it. In Indian Hockey we don't have such kind of thing and we play simple hockey.

Shekhar Gupta: Body play is used by our cricketers these days; see Ishant Rani who has been banned for one match.

Ritu Rani: That is also necessary, like in our game it is necessary to have body contact so we have to improve in such things. Like, if we play matches here and if we play with the boys also, we play away from them, they also don't compete with us that much, in the sense closely with us, we play freely, but the international hockey is not like that. In that, all the world-class teams, they all play physically. That's why we play test matches so that we can improve in such things.

Shekhar Gupta: So Sushila you defend, most defenders are little bit physical in tackling.

Sushila Chanu: Yes, when they come we push them.

Shekhar Gupta: That's your own player.

Sushila Chanu: Yes, in our practice, we play one versus one or attack or defence and pressurise them.

Shekhar Gupta: And you are doing the same job, defence type work, checking the people, checking the tickets in Central Railway, so how do you check the tickets?  

Sushila Chanu: Standing at the station, whichever train comes I ask for a ticket.

Shekhar Gupta: Sometimes stick check also?

Sushila Chanu: No, in hockey field only.

Shekhar Gupta: From which players did you get impressed?

Ritu Rani: Surinder, Gaura who was our captain earlier, they are my idols, have learnt watching them. They left in 2010 and are now in Haryana Police as DSP.

Shekhar Gupta: I have heard that you are also an inspector?
Ritu Rani: Yes, I am also an inspector.

Shekhar Gupta: So you roam wearing the uniform to show muscle power?

Ritu Rani: No, haven't worn the uniform yet.

Shekhar Gupta: But the Haryana Government has a good policy for sports.

Ritu Rani: Yes, we have great support from Haryana, they are doing a lot for sports, not for only us but for every sport.

Shekhar Gupta: Ritu, just tell me one thing in hockey what is the role of the captain? Because in cricket we know whom to ask to ball and whom to ask to bat and how to set the field and when to declare, when toss takes place, choose between bat and ball. What is the role of the captain in hockey? First you played as a player and now as a captain so how did your life change in between?

Ritu Rani: When we play as a player we play with free mind and there is a slight pressure on the captain that she has to handle the entire team and also have to perform herself also. So have handled the team nicely, what things I have to tell to the team I tell, like before our match, whatever our Sir tells us to do, have to remind it that we have to do these things in the match, so that no mistake takes place and our result doesn't get worse.

Shekhar Gupta: Do the girls listen to you?

Ritu Rani: Yes, they surely listen, it's important to listen because unity is really important.

Shekhar Gupta: I have heard that unity is there in your team. It's a bit chak de style, right? So tell, in Indian hockey people say the players are individualistic, whosoever gets the ball thinks to strike the goal and if snatches, then people appreciate that I have played a really good game.

Ritu Rani: Now you see, the turf has come, the hockey has become totally different, there is so much speed that if we run with the ball it has no use, so if we help to run the ball only then we can perform well. So there is no meaning of being individualistic.

Shekhar Gupta: So there is no point one person running the ball every time, we have to make the ball run.

Ritu Rani: So because of that it becomes easier for us to attack, for that it is best to keep on passing the ball, the sooner we pass the ball we can perform well.

Shekhar Gupta: But do you think that the players have understood this thing or not?

Ritu Rani: No, they have very well understood. It does not happen individually, like this is a circle right? Inside the circle we can do such thing, like we have to make a PC, so naturally she has to do that thing, have to dodge. There in the circle such things can be done; we can't call it an individual game. The best option is to make a PC.

Shekhar Gupta: Tell the meaning of dodging, in this country people don't understand hockey.

Ritu Rani: Dodge means to beat a player.

Shekhar Gupta: Teach me how to dodge?

Ritu Rani: It's about the safe movement.

Shekhar Gupta: So when our player dodges, we have that training that our player knows where will she pass after dodging?

Ritu Rani: That's only what we practice about, we should have the understanding, only then we can play well. We know that where will this player pass the ball after dodging.

Shekhar Gupta: You tell you are defender; everybody is trying to dodge you every time, so how do you handle it? How do you understand it that what is the other player's intention?

Sushila Chanu: Because we practice daily, attack or defence and from where will she dodge and where is she weak so we note it.

Shekhar Gupta: You know the players of the other's team?

Sushila Chanu: Yes, we know the players of the other team because we watch their videos; that her right is strong or left is strong, so through this we get to know about them.

Shekhar Gupta: So in the past you have seen 2-3 big matches, in that, after watching whose video you have decided. Like tell me about the Japan's match, it was your most famous match in which we struck a goal in the beginning, it was like our qualification match and after that we effectively qualified for the Olympics. We scored a goal in just 2 minutes and then they kept on putting pressure and in last quarter it became tremendous pressure. So did you feel under a lot of pressure, because they were all in the D all over our goal?

Sushila Chanu: In our Japan match mostly they attack on the right side and I play on the left so there is lot of pressure on my side and mostly the attack is on my side only, so I saved a great defence and then I wasted some time.

Shekhar Gupta: So tell me how did you waste the time?

Sushila Chanu: I had to take the free hit and I was coming very slowly and had to start...

Shekhar Gupta: Was there no whistle for wasting time?

Sushila Chanu: It did take place, warning was issued to the Captain and then green card was given to me.

Shekhar Gupta: But time wasting was important then, because they got so many penalty corners after that.

Ritu Rani: We have to hold the last minutes.

Shekhar Gupta: So everyone attacked at that time. So tell me about that match, describe it? I will say that match was important for the Indian hockey in the last few days.

Sushila Chanu: Our right defender, Deepika Thakur, she is very skill full and mostly Ritu di and Deepika go through and attack and after that our fast goal also took place, attacking from the right side. Both make a good combination. But in the last there was a huge pressure because in Japan match mostly the attack is on the right only and they are weak on left while attacking, so there was a huge pressure and suddenly a PC was given against us and we saved it. Our goalkeeper Savita is really good.

Shekhar Gupta: Savita is from Haryana and there is also another goalkeeper from Orissa, oh you have your drag flicker from there.

Ritu Rani: Our drag flicker is from Haryana and the girl who slaps is from Orissa.

Shekhar Gupta: You were the last defender with the 7-8 penalty corners, what was in your mind?

Sushila Chanu: The only thing in mind was God, please save me; pressure was very high.

Ritu Rani: Because if one goal happens then shoot out and then it becomes difficult, because in shoot out its 50-50, whether players are good enough but still.

Shekhar Gupta: You tell me your favourite. You started playing hockey at the age of fifteen?

Ritu Rani: Yes, I played the Senior World Cup at the age of fifteen.

Shekhar Gupta: One year less than even Sachin.

Ritu Rani: But anyway all our players have come from...  

Shekhar Gupta: The junior team?

Ritu Rani: Yes, they've come from the junior team.

Shekhar Gupta: Imagine, I'm carrying a hockey stick to look cool and to show off with you. Sushila was the one who told me to take the hockey stick with me. It's because of her that I'm carrying this hockey stick. So I don't know too much about hockey, I only played a little bit at school.

Ritu Rani: Than you must know a little bit, dribbling and all you must know?

Shekar Gupta: Not too much, hockey sticks used to be heavy at that time.  

Ritu Rani: Yes, they were wooden.

Shekhar Gupta: Yes, they were, and these are very light compared to those. They were quite thick; we used to coat them in oil.

Ritu Rani: And their blade used to be wider too.

Shekhar Gupta: That's right. And fullback used to have the heaviest.

Ritu Rani: Yes, they did, yes they did.

Shekhar Gupta: Anyway, coming back to your interesting moments.

Ritu Rani: Well, to begin with I was really afraid, being only a junior, I was the youngest, I was afraid of making mistakes. But gradually, with time, after two or three years, with experience, I gradually became a senior myself. I now have the confidence to play against any team so there's no problem now. And right now we played the Asian Games, where we won the bronze medal. That was really important for us. That was similar to a match we played with Japan recently where which we won 2-1. That match was also crucial, but still we played well. That gave us the confidence to play well in the Asian Games and Word Cup, and get medals in both.

Shekhar Gupta: But you came to the national team at such a young age, the pressure must be a lot?

Ritu Rani: Not so much pressure as a fear and lack of confidence, which comes from being inexperienced.

Shekhar Gupta: And now I hear you have too much confidence. Both in you, and in your team.

Ritu Rani: Not really, our team is a mostly young team, there are only a few senior players, so they realise what a big deal it is that we're going to the Olympics soon.

Shekhar Gupta: And going on your own merit, this isn't like Moscow where you're all going, because you're just all outsiders? You're going on your strength this time.

Ritu Rani: Yes.

Shekhar Gupta: And you qualified quickly this time.

Ritu Rani: Quickly?

Shekhar Gupta: You know, there's no suspense dragging on till the last moment about whether you'll get selected or not.

Ritu Rani: No, that's true. Like last time in 2012 we played the qualifying round of the Olympics right here in India.

Shekhar Gupta: Yes, this time you have a year to prepare. Tell me about your home, what do your parents do?

Ritu Rani: My father works for the government, mother's a housewife, I have two brothers, and two sisters-in-law. They even have a son. My younger brother also plays hockey. He's in the BSF right now, through sports quota. He's played till the national level.

Shekhar Gupta: So, tell me, when did you go to play hockey for the very first time? Tell me about that scenario?

Ritu Rani: When I, first time went to play the hockey, my brother, who was playing before I had started playing, so he asked me to come to play, it's really good there and he asked me a lot, then I told him that I don't have any interest in sports. I refused a lot, for two days I kept on saying I don't want to go. But he said it's good to go there and it will be good if you go for sports. So he said I also go so you also come along with me. So that's why I decided to go there and I went there. Our coach Baldev Sir, he is very strict about the rules, like you have to come at 5 in the morning and if you are late by even 1 minute you get punishment.

Shekhar Gupta: What punishment did you get?

Ritu Rani: He used to ask us to perform front roll.

Shekhar Gupta: How many front rolls?

Ritu Rani: There is no counting. It is based on the hours. That's why we have really worked hard. We have never taken an off, we went for the training in the morning and evening and also to school.

Shekhar Gupta: Sushila, where did you find your first coach? When did you find your first coach?

Sushila Chanu: I got my first coach from Manipur, Romace and Sandeep Kumar and late Herojit, I feel sorry about their death and could not meet.

Shekhar Gupta:  So he taught you?

Sushila Chanu: So in starting when I went to the ground they taught me holding the stick.

Shekhar Gupta: And then you knew naturally how to play after that.

Sushila Chanu: No, at the starting for two three days, did play here and there, but after observing them I learnt playing.

Shekhar Gupta: You have done graduation from Kurukshetra University, in which subject you have done?

Ritu Rani: Yes, have done in Arts.

Shekhar Gupta: And you?

Sushila Chanu: Passed 12th.

Shekhar Gupta: And what are you doing after that? Studying or like Sachin Tendulkar you will play for the whole life?

Sushila Chanu: No, I am studying right now, studying history now.

Shekhar Gupta: Because you are an Inspector now in the Railways or not?

Sushila Chanu: Yes, in the Railways.

Shekhar Gupta: So you got the job early?

Ritu Rani: No, still graduation is very important.

Shekhar Gupta: Yes, that is good about what you have talked about.

Shekhar Gupta: Tell me how good is our team's penalty corner? Because you said PC is the main thing.

Ritu Rani: Our PC is good now we have a dragger, earlier we also had a dragger but...

Shekhar Gupta: Dragger means drag flicker.

Ritu Rani: It gives us a lot of benefit.

Shekhar Gupta: Many people cannot register the speed of the ball.

Ritu Rani: That benefits us a lot. We can identify the direction and the speed of the ball. We are good at it. The easiest chance is a PC. There are only 5 defenders and we are eight, so it gives us an easy chance to score a goal and we keep working on it to make it better.

Shekhar Gupta: So there are 5 defenders and 8 attackers.

Ritu Rani: There is no limit to the number of attackers.

Shekhar Gupta: Even if they stop the ball you have a chance if the ball rebounds.

Ritu Rani: Yes, we have chance with the rebounds, otherwise the goal is full packed and there is no easy chance, but we if you are perfect in the PC you can score a goal.

Shekhar Gupta: What is our set piece PC? What is the pattern, I have heard you are doing something?

Ritu Rani: Yes, I push. She is one of the stoppers, there are two other stoppers, Monika and Deepika are also stoppers. Generally everyone is a stopper but we need to change the one who is free. We have a flicker, Jaspreet and slapper, Sunita Lakra and Deepika Thakur.

Shekhar Gupta: Slap means hitting?

Ritu Rani: There is a slight difference between slapping and hitting. Slap is used for deflection and for direct hit we use hitting.

Shekhar Gupta: Dragging is different?

Ritu Rani: Yes, dragging is different.

Shekhar Gupta: So there are three. So you how do you signal each other, what do you use?

Ritu Rani: Our coach informs us about it. We know beforehand what PC to set up.

Shekhar Gupta: If 4-5 PC's are not converted in goals you change your plan of action?

Ritu Rani: We run outside the field to our coach ask him and then come back running to the field, because they keep watching the defence from outside.

Shekhar Gupta: You have a German coach?

Ritu Rani: Yes.

Shekhar Gupta: Tell me something about him. His name is Mathais Ahrens.

Ritu Rani: He is a good coach, he joined us sometime before. In so little time the things he told us we worked on it and we will do well in future.

Shekhar Gupta: Yes, sure you will do well, but what language does he use with you?

Ritu Rani: He speaks English and if we do not understand anything Kumar Sir helps us.

Shekhar Gupta: You understand what he says and the coach understands what you say, that is more important.

Ritu Rani: He understands.

Shekha Gupta: Did you teach the coach some Hindi?

Sushila Chanu: Only "Bharat Mata Ki Jai"

Ritu Rani: We say this before every match, so he feels if he says the same we will feel good, so he learnt it and says before every match.

Shekhar Gupta: You play hockey, do you think the appreciation and the reward you get for hockey is sufficient?  

Sushila Chanu: Yes, that is alright, there is no complaint.

Shekhar Gupta: And you must be quite the heroine at home, playing for the national team and all?

Sushila Chanu: No, no, nothing like that.

Shekhar Gupta: So what do people say when you go back?

Sushila Chanu: Well, I never get a chance to find out, because, like, last time I only went for a week. And I don't even like staying at home for too long because I end up missing my teammates.

Shekhar Gupta: Do you also end up quarreling or fighting sometimes?

Ritu Rani: No, not really.

Shekhar Gupta: So how will you be preparing for the Olympics this time round?

Ritu Rani: Well, we intend to work twice as hard to improve our performance, seeing as we only have a year, and try to play as many international matches as we can. Gain some exposure to some of the best teams.

Shekhar Gupta: Which team do you find difficult to play with?

Ritu Rani: All the teams are good, we cannot say this team is weak or strong but the best 4 or 5 team of the world is our competition. Holland plays with speed and we have skill.

Shekhar Gupta: They have speed and hit and run also.

Ritu Rani: They are all based on speed.

Shekhar Gupta: So the defence has to be always alert, because you never know when the ball will come. One big hit and somebody will come running and these days there is no off side in hockey.

Ritu Rani: Yes, now it is now open you can play wherever you want.

Shekhar Gupta: Do you think there should be off side in hockey?

Ritu Rani: No, without off side we can use the skill any ways and anywhere on the field. But we have not played that hockey. But still...

Shekhar Gupta: See, are you both happy that you chose hockey and not some other sport?

Ritu Rani: Yes definitely, very happy.

Shekhar Gupta: You never feel any regret? Like people say why hockey? And till people don't feel the pride for hockey then even hockey won't progress.

Ritu Rani: See, like there is Major Dhyanchand ji and this stadium was built on his name and sports day is also celebrated on his name, so that is also there and this is our national game and it is good for us, I mean we are playing hockey so that's why.

Shekhar Gupta: And you? What do you think?

Sushila Chanu: Me too of course, by choosing hockey I made a very good choice.

Shekhar Gupta: Not like Mary Kom now, she is from your state?
Sushila Chanu: Had I chosen boxing, who knows if I would have been able to reach the top or not?

Shekhar Gupta: And in hockey, you are in the top right now, in the Indian team, so that is why now, hockey of the Indian team is doing so good. In fact the women's hockey is doing better than the men's hockey. Many congratulations and may you go and win an Olympic medal in hockey. Thank you very much; it was a pleasure to speak with both of you.