Former India skipper Vandana leaves international arena in a blaze of glory

New delhi: Vandana Katariya has decided to retire, casting a shadow on what was an illustrious career in Indian hockey. When any player retires and fans wonder why, it means the star is still relevant. To say that Vandana is not there in the collective conscience of Indian hockey fans would be wrong. What Vandana achieved cannot be merely explained in terms of matches played, longevity and the goals she scored. Vandana was a classy player, who gave fans many great moments and yet faced horrible flak.

If Test cricket star R Ashwin retiring midway through the BGT Series in Australia in January had surprised many, the reasons became clear later. There had been some differences with coach Gautam Gambhir. Likewise, one day it will come out in public domain why Vandana, who still had a few more years of hockey left in her, decided to retire. She had played 320 international matches and scored 158 goals. And her career was spread over 15 years, which is huge.

She hails from Roshanabad, which is near the holy city of Haridwar. Coming from a very humble background, which is so typical of Indian girls who play hockey, Vandana has seen the good and bad moments. She has also seen atrocious behaviour a few years ago when her house was targetted after the Indian team lost to Argentina in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. What prompted such a behaviour is a sick mindset, where, even Vandana’s caste came into play. This girl knows one religion, hockey, which she has embraced for over two decades.

Leading a tough life minus all facilities, at first, Vandana played almost every sport she could, athletics included. Once she adopted hockey and played at the SAI hostel in Lucknow, life was kind to Vandana. It was almost like a rags-to-riches story for her to even see a proper kitbag and hockey gear.

After all, born in a large family, there was but no choice she played sports near home, initially, with shared sports shoes which her sisters also wore. How many would know that despite what she has done for India, notably at the Tokyo Olympics and a couple of editions of the Asian Games, Vandana has not got back a 100 per cent. It is fine to say she won national awards and so on, but for all those who stoned her house in 2021 and also abused her for coming from a caste which was not ‘forward’ there can be no forgiveness.

For all those who wept when the India women came agonisingly close to winning a medal at the Tokyo Olympics and eventually finished fourth, it was tearful. On return to New Delhi, the team was feted. Watching the women’s team and the men’s team at a felicitation function after the Tokyo Olympics, one could see sadness and tears.