Goalkeeper Savita to lead India in FIH Women’s Nations Cup in Spain
The Indian women's hockey team recently clinched bronze at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games
The Indian women’s hockey team’s goalkeeper Savita Punia on Friday achieved the milestone of completing 200 international caps for the country. She reached this milestone during India’s fifth and final match of their tour to England, which took place against Great Britain in Marlow.
Since making her debut at the Spar Cup Four Nations Tournament in Durban in 2009, Savita has come up the ranks and has cemented her place in the team with some top-quality performances over the years.
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Savita was 20 years old at the time of making her senior team debut, as she caught the attention of the selectors during her junior days with some age-defying performances and a sharp presence of mind.
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The 29-year-old was adjudged the Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the Hockey World League Round 2 in Canada in 2017 and was also part of the team that won the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in 2016.
Earlier, Savita had also made two crucial saves in the penalty shoot-out game to hand India the bronze medal in the eighth edition of the Asia Cup which was held in Malaysia in 2013.
The goalkeeper from Haryana also helped the team to win the gold medal at the Asia Cup 2017 where she was awarded the best goalkeeper award, along with the silver medal at the Asian Champions Trophy 2018, and the silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games.
During her 10 years with the Indian team, Savita has participated in the Rio Olympics 2016, and was also a member of the team that made it to the quarter-finals of the World Cup 2018 held in London. Her performance on the field led to her being conferred the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2018.
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