Savita Punia Earns Spot Among Elite 33 In FIH Pro League 2024 Squad

Veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia has been named among Hockey India’s 33 core probables, marking her inclusion in the squad on 8th April 2024. Indian Women's Hockey team captain Savita Punia previously got nominated for the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Women's Goalkeeper Of The Year Award 2021-22. Popularly called as the Great Wall Of India. Punia and her team performed well at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and grabbed the third position and a bronze.

What Is Expected At FIH Pro League?

Initially, Hockey India had enlisted 60 players for the camp, but after thorough selection trials held in Bengaluru on 6th and 7th April following the recent National Championship, the squad was pruned down.

The Indian women’s hockey team is slated to embark on a journey to Antwerp and London, where they will lock horns with formidable opponents like Argentina, Belgium, Germany, and Great Britain in the FIH Hockey Pro League commencing on 22nd May.

Who Is Savita Punia? 

Savita Punia, India's star hockey goalkeeper received the Baljit Singh Goalkeeper Of The Year award in 2015. The 32-year-old captain from Haryana's efforts was again acknowledged on September 13, when she received the nomination for FIH Women's Goalkeeper Of The Year. Punia and her team claimed the limelight by showcasing their skills and talent during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Though they lost to Great Britain by 3-4 during the bronze medal round, they were applauded for being successful in proving their potential and bringing hope to India.

Savita Punia Goalkeeper Of The Year Nomination Announced

This is Savita's second nomination for the FIH award. She got nominated and won the same award during the 2020-21 edition as well. Talking about her progress, Punia reportedly said, "I feel quite good about being nominated in consecutive years. We continued to train hard after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for the entire year. Getting a nomination again makes me feel that I a moving in the right direction in training."

The player owes her achievement to team members and coaching staff. In a recent interview, she emphasised the efforts and teamwork that make such achievements possible. "If one of us is nominated, every member of the team receives appreciation and this is what makes me happy". She also talked about her dual responsibilities as the captain as well as the goalkeeper of the team. She said that while it is important to focus on individual training as goalkeeper, as captain she needs to ensure that she provides support to the entire team and focus on the team performance as well.

In 2022, the team performed exceptionally well at the Birmingham edition of the Commonwealth Games by beating New Zealand and claiming the Bronze medal. It motivated the team and created a positive environment to train harder and achieve better results. The team is currently training for the FIH Hockey Women's Nations which will be held in December 2022. The team is also looking for to next year's Asian Games.