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Goal-scoring machine Deepika could have been a wrestler but she is not sure if she would have been as successful
In three matches so far, the 22-year-old from Rohtak has scored 20 goals, and twice she has set a new Asian Games record across men’s and women’s hockey.
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Deepika Sehrawat is just killing it in the ongoing Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The Indian women’s hockey team has played three games so far, and the star drag-flicker has scored 20 goals in them. Needless to say, the team has won all those games with big margins. Yes, the opposition teams have not been the greatest, but still, it takes something special to score so many goals.
In a matter of days, Deepika has set two records across men’s and women’s hockey. Her eight goals were a first in a single Asian Games match, and then a few days later, she improved on that.
In their Asiad opener against Uzbekistan, India registered a 19-0 win, and Deepika scored 8 goals out of them. In the second game against Indonesia (17-1), Deepika scored a hat-trick and then against Thailand in a 20-1 win on Wednesday, she went one better on her performance against Uzbekistan as she scored nine goals.
It’s a clear case of destiny playing a role in her career. Deepika hails from Bhainsru Khurd Village in Rohtak (Haryana), where wrestling and boxing take precedence over every other sport. She grew up in a family where wrestling was a way of life, but then she ended up becoming a hockey player. It can’t be anything other than the role of fate, can it?
After India’s win against Thailand, Deepika seemed satisfied with her choice of sport as a career, totally uncertain that if she had taken up wrestling, she would have had as much success as she has had in hockey. "If I hadn't played hockey, I would have been a wrestler. But hockey has given me so much that I can't say whether I would have achieved similar success in wrestling," she told PTI.
While the 22-year-old admitted that the athletic genes she had inherited from her wrestling family have played a role in her development as a hockey player, she believes there are several other factors at play, too. Strength alone can’t turn one into a top-notch athlete. "Strength alone isn't enough. Skill, consistency and discipline are crucial. I returned last year after battling a major injury, and making a comeback after an injury is also very crucial. It takes many years to become a good drag-flicker," added the star player.
In their fourth game of Pool B on Friday, India play Japan at the Kawasaki Juko Stadium. It’s their penultimate game of the first round, and if they win, they get closer to a place in the semifinals. Deepika would look to continue her goal-scoring spree for sure. The match starts at 07:30 am IST.
