Rohtak: From following her elder brother to a wrestling mat in Hisar to rewriting the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 hockey record books, Deepika Sehrawat’s journey has been anything but conventional.The 22-year-old forward from Bhaisuru village in the district delivered a stunning performance at the 2026 Asian Games on Sunday, scoring eight goals as India defeated Uzbekistan 19-0 in their opening Pool B match. Deepika scored in the 8th, 22nd, 25th, 33rd, 36th, 38th, 41st and 54th minutes. Her eight-goal haul is the highest by an individual woman in a single Asian Games hockey match.For all her prowess, Deepika originally started her sporting journey with wrestling. Her elder brother, Pravesh Sehrawat, is a national-level wrestler who later joined the Indian Army. Their father, Jagdish Sehrawat, is a retired govt employee from Hisar Agriculture University, while their mother, Jageeta Devi, is a homemaker.Deepika accompanied Pravesh to the Sports Authority of India facility in Hisar, where she became interested in hockey. After watching the game for around a year and a half, she decided she wanted to play hockey herself. Her family initially thought she would eventually return to wrestling, but Deepika persuaded her father to speak to coach Azad Singh Malik.Pravesh said Deepika started playing when she was only nine years old and continued under her first coach, Azad Singh Malik. Under his guidance, she developed into a forward and ultimately became known for her drag-flicking ability.Her rise continued through the state and junior ranks before she entered the senior national setup in 2022. However, the journey was not easy. Pravesh recalled how the family was mocked by neighbours and relatives when Deepika was not selected for key tournaments. “We had a sports background, so we did not care about any feedback regarding Deepika and continued supporting her,” he said.Family members said Deepika considers Savita Poonia a role model who helped polish her skills. They added that if the Indian women’s team wins gold in the ongoing Asian Games, it would automatically qualify India for the next Olympics.
