Bengaluru, Dec 23 Indian junior women's defender Simran Singh, who is still finding her feet in the junior international circuit, expressed that the aspiring hockey players in the country are very lucky to have role-models such as Deep Grace Ekka and Gurjit Kaur.
The 19-year-old, who has played three matches for the junior team so far, said that she has learned a lot by watching Ekka and Gurjit from close quarters.
"The young hockey players in India, especially defenders, are very fortunate to have role-models like Deep Grace Ekka and Gurjit Kaur. Ekka has shown all of us how to be a consistent performer at the highest level for a long period of time and Gurjit has portrayed the importance of a drag-flicker for a national side. I have learned a lot by watching the way they train for tournaments in national camps. I hope I can be as good as them someday," said Simran.
When asked about her immediate goals in the future, Simran said she is practicing hard to book a place in the Indian team for the Junior Asia Cup which is slated to be held in April next year.
"My sole goal at the moment is to book a place in the side which will play in the Junior Asia Cup. I have played only the 4 Nations Junior Women Invitational Tournament in Dublin (2019) in my career so far. However, the competition was a great experience for me and I have honed my skills further after the tournament. I have been working very hard on my game and hopefully, I'll be able to make it to the Indian junior team in April. It's a very important tournament for us," said the defender.
( With inputs from IANS )
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