Asia: ‘Learning experience to train alongside senior players,’ says Indian Women’s Hockey Team defender Ropni Kumari

Ropni was recently named among the 33-member National Women’s Team
Core group that is training at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru ~_
New Delhi, 24th April 2024: Ropni Kumari, Indian Women’s Hockey Team
defender, looked back on the previous year and explained how consistent
opportunities to play with the Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team have
contributed to her development. The 19-year-old was part of the team
that claimed the Gold medal at the Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2023 and also
travelled with the team to Dusseldorf, Germany for the 2023 4 Nations
Junior Women’s Invitational Tournament. Ropni was also a key player for
the side at the 2023 FIH Junior World Cup in Santiago, Chile and played
in all six games.
“It was a good year for me as I was able to earn consistent
opportunities with the team and was able to improve as a player. I am
thankful to the support staff and the coaches for backing me and also to
my teammates for allowing me to express myself. Winning the Gold medal
at the Women’s Junior Asia Cup remains one of my favourite memories,”
she said.
Ropni was recently named among the 33-member National Women’s Team Core
group that is training at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru which will run
till 16th May. She was among the players that were selected from the
60-member assessment squad that reported to camp on 1st April, after the
selection trials that were held on 6th and 7th April.
Speaking on her experiences of training with the Senior Team, Ropni
said, “It has been a fantastic experience for me as I can rub shoulders
with the best players. They are constantly giving us proper guidance and
ensuring we feel comfortable at all times.”
On being asked about what advice she has received from the senior
players, Ropni elaborated, “They are constantly advising us on how to
deal with pressure and how to remain calm during tough games. It has
been one of the key aspects where I feel I can improve. It has been
quite a learning experience for me, and I feel it will help in
increasing the rate of my growth.
Ropni, now, is looking to work even harder to make her debut for the
Senior Team and is hoping she gets a chance to showcase her talent
against the top competitors. “It is everyone’s dream to represent the
country, and as a team, we are quite focused this year on our growth. I
am looking forward to working even harder so that I am ready whenever my
name is called up to be a part of the senior team squad. I hope to
compete against the best teams as it will also help me in understanding
the level of hockey that is played at this level,” she signed off.