No doubt, our team’s performance was exceptional. The coming years will be exciting.
Deepankar Sharda
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 6
“Our girls have given a new dimension to the Indian women’s hockey. They played well, but lost the bronze by a whisker,” said Takdeer Singh, father of Indian women’s hockey team defender Monika Malik after the side went down fighting against the Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics.
No doubt, our team’s performance was exceptional. The coming years will be exciting.
Indian women’s team lost 4-3 in the bronze-medal playoff.
Sitting in the pooja room of his Sector 44 based house, Singh kept praying for India’s success during the entire match. Though his prayers went unanswered, he was happy with the team’s performance.
“The girls registered a great comeback. They had their share of chances, but they lost it. A defeat offers many lessons and they will gain a vast experience from this result,” said Singh, who works with the Chandigarh Police.
“There’s no doubt that our team’s performance was exceptional and the coming years will be exciting. They have set a benchmark and youngsters will now have to push it further,” he added.
Takdeer also thanked the Haryana Government for announcing a cash award of Rs 50 lakh each to the Haryana players who represented the Indian women’s hockey team in Tokyo. Monika plays for Haryana in the national circuit.
“I thank the Haryana Government for appreciating the team’s achievement. Finishing fourth in the Olympics is not an easy thing. The players should be appreciated in the right manner. I wish, the Indian team continues to bag laurels in the coming years so that every household has at least one Monika playing for the country,” said Singh.
Monika has a long association with Chandigarh. She used to train under Rajinder Singh, Nisha Sharma and Manjeet Kaur at the Chandigarh Hockey Academy (CHA) during her formative years and lived in the city from 2007-12.
Besides Monika, the current Indian team features two other CHA products – Sharmila Devi and Reena.
“The side played well. They really played well in the last two quarters. The defence played deep, midfielders held possession and strikers made good opportunities. We had a good penalty corner conversion rate. Overall we did well. I must say that the Indian future is heading in the right direction,” said hockey coach Gurminder Singh.