It was a pivotal moment for India in many ways. Trailing by two goals against United States in their opening FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup match in June, India were looking bereft of ideas against a sturdy USA defence.
Then they earned a penalty corner in the 17th minute, and Deepika Sehrawat was on the pitch.
It was her first match for India in almost 10 months. A strapped right thigh was a precaution as well as a reminder, of the Grade 3 hamstring tear she suffered while the drag-flicker was practicing her skill in August last year.
However, against USA, she stepped up and slotted the ball powerfully to the bottom right corner. A few minutes later, another drag-flick, and she had levelled the scores. She scored four more times in that tournament, finishing joint-top scorer as India won the title.
It was a trophy that halted the team’s downward spiral that prevented it from qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics and led to relegation from the FIH Pro League. Now, the upswing coincided with Deepika’s return.
Fast forward to the Asian Games where the Indian woman won their first gold medal in 44 years. Deepika scored a tournament-high 21 goals, the nine against Thailand the most scored by one player in a women’s match at the Asiad. India upstaged China in the final.
“It’s a big deal, because records don’t get created out of nothing,” she told HT. “The team had played a big role in it, because they created the penalty corners and I finished it.”
Deepika wasn’t even sure she would play again after the injury.
“Looking back at what all happened, I never thought I’d get to play at the Asian Games and the World Cup (India finished an impressive fifth in August), and have good performances.
“When the injury happened, the doctors were not sure if I needed to get surgery. There was a lot going on.”
By January, Dutch coach Sjoerd Marijne, who had guided the team to a creditable fourth place finish at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, had returned. He knew what she was capable of.
So, he took a different approach while asking questions of her.
“I told her that my record for 100 burpees is around six minutes, and asked her what will be her record,” Marijne told HT. “It was a challenge. It was in good fun, but there were more goals behind it.
“You see a player go through that disappointment and not having trust in her body, you don’t want her to go through that process,” Marijne said. “In those moments, you act less as a hockey coach and more as a mental guide or father-figure providing support.”
By March, Deepika was still not close to being match-fit, but the 22-year-old still travelled with the team for the World Cup qualifiers in Hyderabad.
With the team transitioning from Rani Rampal and Vandana Katariya, there were expectations on the new generation of forwards. Deepika also had the responsibility of taking penalty corners.
Hailing from a family of wrestlers, her first hockey coach Azad Singh recognised that her initial training in the sport had helped her develop strong arms and shoulders, perfect tools for the drag-flick.
Former India player Rupinder Pal Singh and Dutch drag-flick great Taeke Taekema have helped Deepika hone her efficiency in honing the skill.
Excited to return, Deepika scored the second goal in a 2-2 draw against China in the World Cup opener. Drag flicks accounted for 19 of her 21 Asian Games goals.
Marijne said: “There’s still room for improvement, she’s still in the process of coming back and staying away from injuries, and being able to drag-flick 20-30 balls (in each training session).”
The team will soon do the post-Asiad analysis, but Deepika the areas she must improve. “I need to bring more variations into the drag-flick,” she said.
She is looking forward to building up for the 2028 LA Olympics for which India have qualified by winning the Asian Games.
For Deepika though, those 10 months away from the sport lingers in the mind.
“I will not forget that phase, but (when I returned), I didn’t look back. Mujhe bas maarna hai. (I just want to play and shoot).”
