NEW DELHI, June 27: Young Indian women�s hockey team striker Lalremsiami says skipper Rani and her deputy Savita played a big role in keeping the players motivated during their over two-and-a-half month�s confinement at the SAI South Centre in Bengaluru due to the coronavirus-forced lockdown.
Lalremsiami, one of the youngest members of the Indian women�s hockey team, said senior players like Rani and Savita kept the morale of the players high during the lockdown.
�Had it not been for seniors in the team like Rani and Savita, who played a huge role in keeping us youngsters motivated, it would have been difficult for us to spend so many days in our hostel rooms with barely any activity apart from some fitness workouts in our rooms,� said Lalremsiami, who hails from Mizoram.
Lalremsiami, Salima Tete, Rajwinder Kaur and Sharmila are some of the new entrants to the Indian women�s hockey team set-up and have climbed up the ranks swiftly with commendable performances at the international stage.
�At first, when SAI went into a lockdown in mid March, we (youngsters) never understood the gravity of the situation but followed the rules of not going outside the campus. It was only when we attended a brief talk/presentation by a team of doctors who explained about the pandemic that we realised it was a serious issue and we need to be vigilant all the time,� the Mizo player said. � PTI
