Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi, Jan 8: Simdega, once known across the country for Naxalite activities, has turned into a home for hockey players these days. Six players from the district have been selected for the national camp of the Indian women’s junior hockey team.
These include Deepika Soreng, Beauty Dungdung, Pramodani Lakra, Kajal Bara, Rajni Kerketta and Mahila Tete. Hockey India Executive Director RK Srivastava has written a letter to the General Secretary, Jharkhand Hockey, informing about the selection of these players.
Notably, Beauty Dungdung, Kajal and Deepika are residents of Karanguri of Kersai block, Pramodani from Koromian of Thethaitangar block, Rajni from Paikpara of Thethaitangar block and Mahima Tete from Barkichhapar of Kurdeg block.
Earlier, in the last week of December 2021, six players from Jharkhand including four from Simdega were selected for the camp of the Senior Indian Women’s Hockey Team. In the year 2022, after the selection of six girls from Simdega, a total of 12 players from Jharkhand have reached the national camp of the Indian women’s senior and junior teams. Some of these people had a chance to participate in both of these teams.
According to sources, the National Training Camp will be conducted from January 17 to 29 in Bengaluru. The final trial for selection will be held in Pune from January 29. The villagers are now beginning to take interest in hockey. Former hockey players said that this selection is good news in the new year.
Mahima Tete, the younger sister of Salima Tete, who was a part of the Indian women’s hockey team in the Olympics, has also been selected for the national camp training of the junior team. Beauty Dungdung has been a member of the Junior India team in the past.
Apart from this, Deepika Soreng was involved in the junior India team’s national camp in 2018. Rajni Kerketta, Pramodani Lakra, have also been representing the Jharkhand team since 2017 in sub junior national hockey competitions. Mahima Tete and Kajal Bada have been representing the Jharkhand team in the National Sub Junior Women’s Hockey Championship since 2018.
All these players were members of the Jharkhand team that was runner-up in the 11th Hockey India National Junior Women’s Hockey Championship 2021 held in Simdega in October of 2021.
Pramodani Lakra and Kajal, selected for the camp, were found Covid positive in April 2021 but both worked hard both at home by themselves and in the camp organised by Hockey Jharkhand in Simdega. As a result, they performed better in the Junior National Competition held in the month of October after which they were included in the team India camp.
