Hockey legend Vandana Katariya retires

Even with the usual full-fledged transition ongoing in women’s hockey with younger players being ushered in preparing for LA28 qualification, the 32-year-old has had it in her the fierce determination and ability to battle for the poaching forward’s slot.
The Haridwar hurricane who ran like the wind and dived at goalmouth, undeterred poking sticks, finished with 158 goals from 320 games and an Olympic hat-trick. But on Tuesday, the thought of stepping back that had been swirling for a few months was paused. Vandana, the first Indian woman to play over 300 games, took a snap-second decision – not unlike how she routinely barged into the D.
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“It’s always a tough decision, but it had to be taken at some point. I didn’t really talk to anyone about it, just acted on my emotion,” she would say on Tuesday, during marathon 5-hour long media interactions. “I’ve just been talking to the press since morning. Haven’t had time to think about future options – coaching, maybe, perhaps if I have to stay connected to the game,” she said. Her hat-trick in a must-win game against South Africa at the Tokyo Olympics where India finished memorably 4th, will remain an enduring legacy.
She is dreading missing the team. “They had become a habit. Eating with them, training with them, almost growing up with them, the stress, the jokes and laughs,” she said.
Vandana Katariya played over 300 matches for team India. (Hockey India)
Vandana came from a very humble family in Haridwar, where her father was a technician at Bharat Heavy Electricals, but loved sport so much he had a wrestling pit built in his front yard. She defied taunts for wearing shorts, playing football and athletics, she drowned out caste and sex slurs thrown her way ignorant men, battled anaemia and poor musculature, depression where she stress-ate sweets and finally struggles to hold onto her place, before her life turned around as Vandana was in the team that won a Junior World Cup bronze for India after 36 years.
“I think the biggest change in Indian hockey is how we learnt to professionally prepare for each game – from the time of waking up, diet, recovery, rest, technique, coordination and mentally. It doesn’t happen overnight. Our team took many years, (7-8) to find success,” she says.Story continues below this ad
Through it all, till right before Tokyo Olympics, her father would support her, someone with a talent for the zigzag dribble. He passed away on the eve of the 2021 Games but remains a voice in her head. “He always said one thing – when you train away at the hostel, it might be in silence most times with no one watching you to check your dedication every second. Coach has many players to take care of. But God is watching always and will know if you are honestly working hard. So you can’t slacken. Also there are no easy ways to success, even if easy temptations will show up,” she recalls. “Ek rupaya kamaane ke liye bhi mehnat karo (work hard to earn even one rupee). No shortcuts.”

Bronzes at Asian Games, gold at Asian Champions Trophy and Asia Cup and silver at Commonwealth Games would be notched up, though the giddy no-medal 4th place run at Tokyo will stay imprinted on Indian minds a long time, bringing as much joy as Neeraj Chopra’s gold. It had all however plunged into a room of tears after India lost the opening few games and were sucker-punched, tottering towards elimination after the England match.
Vandana’s hat-trick proved invaluable not for how tough the opponents were, but for lifting the team from the ass of hopelessness. “England was a terrible match, I remember we cried in the meeting thereafter. Personally I had lost my father recently, and kept thinking how futile efforts were after spending all of Covid away from family, but talking, breathing, and living hockey at the camp in Bangalore. I asked myself- what am I doing wasting all the hardwork and what use was my life if I couldn’t help the team. The hat-trick became memorable because it brought us back and will be close to my heart always,” Vandana says.
Vandana announced her retirement on Tuesday. (Hockey India)
Reluctant to pick any personal goal as favourite, her most vivid memories were of celebrating winning the quarterfinals against Australia with the team. While she struck up good connections with Navneet, Neha and Sushila, Vandana prized herself in adjusting even with the new bunch of players, some of whom she will continue to play with in HIL.Story continues below this ad
While India never really challenged for the top slots in women’s hockey, and its forwardline often got bullied in the last third stronger teams, Vandana & Co did manage to sneak in spaces created to build up towards a goal. “(Timing of) when to lead and fitness was the most important for forwards, and we analysed individual defenders and made inroads. But toughest was Holland defenders, because their reach was mighty and we had to out-run them which needed a strong mind and fitness,” she recalls.
While channeling her speed into coherence and making every raid into the circle count, remained a challenge through her career, nobody would fault Vandana on effort – given how frequently she dove about in search of last-gasp deflections.
Vandana remains a shoes and sneaker-freak, the one thing she loved as much as hockey – from kitten heel pumps to latest Pumas. And she’s happy with the new crop of players. “They come into the team with assured knowledge of fitness, diet and recovery comparable to the world’s best players. They are ready for demands of high performance games and fast hockey. Their self confidence is great to see.” It had taken her an Olympic hat-trick to get to that same mind space.