Hockey is considered the national sport of India. The Indian men’s hockey team is the most successful side in the history of the Olympics, having won eight gold, one silver, and three bronze medals. India has produced some of the best field hockey players in the world, including the legendary Dhyan Chand, Balbir Singh Sr, and Dhanraj Pillai. Similarly, Rani Devi, Sanggai Chanu, Jyoti Sunita Kullu, and Mamta Kharab are a few of the top women hockey players that India has produced.

In recent years, the Women’s Hockey Team has made significant progress and is now considered a dominant force in Asia, ranking as the top team, and winning the Bronze medal in the 2022 Asian Games. India at the 2020 Summer Olympics for the first time ever, reached the semi-final in the Women’s Hockey Olympic event but failed to bag any medals after they lost to Argentina in the semi-final and then to Great Britain in the bronze medal match. Following their performance at the Olympics, the team went on to win bronze medals at the 2022 Asia Cup and the Commonwealth Games and a third-place finish in the 2021–22 Pro League. In 2022 India won the first ever FIH Women’s Nations Cup.

Past Performances

The team’s breakthrough performance came at the Women’s Hockey World Cup at Mandelieu in 1974, where it finished in 4th place. Their best performance in the Olympic Games was at the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics (where they came in 4th). The team also won the Gold medal at the inaugural 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi, defeating Korea in the finals.

Captain Suraj Lata Devi led the team to the Gold for three consecutive years at different events- during the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, and the 2004 Women’s Hockey Asia Cup. In the 2014 Asian Games, Incheon stunned Japan 2–1 in a tight match to clinch their third bronze medal at the Asian Games.