Navneet Kaur and Neha Goyal: Indian Hockey's Dynamic Duo

    Hockey India often produces good players from humble backgrounds and Navneet Kaur and Neha Goyal are two such players who have defied all odds and are now the backbone of the Indian Women's hockey team. The duo came to prominence at the Tokyo Olympics and are set to be future stars of Indian women's hockey.

    The Indian Women Hockey team before a match takes place Image credit: wikimedia.com The Indian Women Hockey team before a match takes place

    Indian National Hockey has recently been put on the map. After their spectacular fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, they have become a source of pride for India.

    The dynamic duo of Neha Goyal and Navneet Kaur are becoming media darlings. Recently, when speaking with an interviewer from NDTV, Nirvair Singh Sidhu - also a former captain of the Indian team - about their career and recent success as well as difficulties they had faced  in past years, Navneet gave credit to her father while Neha credits her mother for all she has done so far and for achievements.

    Junior League system in Indian Hockey

    Navneet is recognized as a smart player who can anticipate any challenge or opportunity the team has. After getting selected for the Junior Indian Women's Team, she stated that winning the Hockey Junior World Cup 2013 was her biggest victory to date. She spoke about how many players from this Indian Junior team are still playing together in Senior India and their recent success is because they have played together for years. Navneet and Neha are poster girls for hockey in India and their successes could lead more girls to play hockey throughout the nation.

    Fitness is the new mantra

    Neha believes that the team's collective fitness has led to their success. She also discussed the team's problems, and her mother's help in resolving them. She was encouraged by one of her classmates to join hockey, which she did thanks to support from local government with minimal equipment like sticks and balls as well as basic clothing. Through hard work and practice at Sonepat Hockey Academy, Neha is growing more confident thanks to her coach and supportive mom!

    Confidence increased due to the team's success at the Women's Asia Cup 2017. The players showed better performance during FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2019, particularly in their overall fitness, which was a reflection of their general confidence. They have won medals in several tournaments over the last couple of years - Asian Games and Asian Champions Trophy among them.

     

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