'Chak De’ Spirit Lives On: Varanasi’s Pooja Yadav Scripts History In Indian Hockey

Pooja Yadav, a 21-year-old from the outskirts of Varanasi, has scripted history by becoming the first woman from the Purvanchal region to earn a call-up to the Indian women’s hockey team. Yadav's dedication at the senior national camp in Bengaluru has secured her place in the 26-member squad heading to Perth for a crucial tour against Australia, scheduled from April 26 to May 4.

"It was an incredible feeling," Yadav shared, reflecting on her selection. "My parents and siblings were overjoyed... something like this seemed impossible before."

Pooja's father Mahendra, is a resident of Gangapur, Uttar Pradesh, who always supported and encouraged her to purse hockey. Despite the neighbours and relatives often tossing lines like, "Hockey mein kuchh nahi hoga iska (She won’t get anywhere in hockey),” Mahendra would usually nod and say nothing.

As 20-year-old Pooja Yadav joined the Indian hockey team last week, she recalled how her father, a milkman who also tended to the fields, bought her first pair of playing shoes from a local shop. 

“The shop owner had a young family. So my father told him he would deliver milk until the shopkeeper had recovered the cost of the shoes. It took a month and a half, but I had my first shoes. They had two golden stars,” Pooja recalled to The Indian Express in an interview. 

Reflecting on her journey of becoming the 'only woman from Banaras to ever play for India', she said that playing cricket with boys also helped her in the early days. 

“One day, I spotted hockey at school and was trained by a coach. But those early days of playing cricket helped because I always believed I was equal to the boys,” she added. “Growing up, I was the only girl playing hockey. After hearing of my India selection, now even the villagers are happy. Maybe more girls will play.”

The Family's Pride

Pooja's mother Kalavati and four sisters, all married and stay-at-home wives, swelled with pride after the national call-up, “My mother was the one who wouldn’t let me give up. But my four sisters are all supportive and keep telling me they want me to do what they never even dreamt of. They kept pushing me even after I failed the trials. They would tell me to skip housework and go out to train instead,” she says.

However, Pooja knew that the shoes with the golden stars would wear out soon, and that she had to secure a spot at the Lucknow sports hostel so her parents wouldn’t have to spend on her diet and equipment anymore. Thus, with her determination and hard work, five years ago, she found herself at the Sports Authority of India hostel in Lucknow.

In Times Of Doubt 

There were many times that she failed, however, in times when pessimism engulfed her, Pooja invited the doubters home and forcibly made them watch reruns of ‘Chak de India!’.

“I first showed it to my parents, and it used to make them very happy, imagining I would be like that someday. But it was more important that those who repeated that I wouldn’t be able to make a life out of hockey watched it too,” she recalls.

Pooja believes all those reruns of the movie didn't go to waste as she got picked for the national camp in Bengaluru last month.

Pooja looks up to her seniors Navneet Kaur and Neha Goyal, however, it is Sushila Chanu who has taken Pooja under her guidance at the national camp. 

“I went in with a huge fear of making mistakes. But Sushila didi has been teaching me not to be afraid and always focus on the next match. She keeps stressing that when I receive the ball I should look up, scan the field for exact positioning and not make wrong passes. We can’t lose possession,” she says.

What Does Her Coach Say About Her?

Harendra Singh, head coach of the Indian Women's Hockey, says Pooja is a skilled and fast learner. “Good passing skills and peripheral vision are what she showed at the nationals. Also, at the camps, she showed improvements, gelling with players, and tactical awareness. Now she needs exposure to cope with top teams like Australia,” he says.

Expressing his excitement about his ward from Varanasi, Coach Harendra shared, “The city of Mahadeva has contributed to Indian hockey in a big way. Hockey legend Mohd Shahid Saab was from Varanasi and internationals Vivek Singh, Rahul Singh, Prashant Singh are from there too. Currently in the men’s squad, we have Lalit Upadhyay. The Ghazipur-Varanasi-Mirzapur belt is the centre of artistic hockey. Pooja will be a role model for upcoming players and the young generation in the women’s team,” he says.