Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], February 4 : Hockey India congratulated Salima Tete on making her 100th appearance for the Indian Women's Hockey Team in their first match of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 against China at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
Salima, known for her blistering pace, made her debut for India in the 2016 Test Matches: Australia v India (W) that was held in Melbourne in November 2016. Since then, Salima has set up numerous goals for her teammates and scored 14 goals herself.
The livewire, who hails from Jharkhand, attained the status of an Olympian at 19 years of age, as she was part of the historic squad that finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The invaluable experience from the Olympics saw her bloom as a player. Soon after, she was named the Rising Player of the Tournament of the Women's Asia Cup 2022, held in Muscat, where the team finished third.
A confident Salima then went on to captain the team that finished fourth at the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2021 held in Potchefstroom, South Africa. In the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Salima scored a crucial goal in the 3rd/4th place match against New Zealand which enabled the team to register their first official victory against New Zealand, through penalty shootouts and claim the bronze medal.
Salima was also an integral part of the Indian Women's Hockey Team that was crowned Champions of the FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup Spain 2022 in December 2022. She was also a part of the squad that won the Bronze medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games which ended in October 2023.
The best performance of her career so far came, at home, in the Jharkhand Women's Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023 where she scored 5 goals across 7 matches and was named the Player of the Tournament. In addition to her exploits on-field, Salima was appointed as an AHF Athletes Ambassador in March 2023, enabling her to play a leadership role in international representation, development, and advocacy of athletes.
Congratulating Salima Tete on her achievement, Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey said, "I congratulate Salima on completing 100 International Caps for India. Amassing 100 appearances at such a young age is a testament to Salima's determination and willpower. She has constantly improved throughout the years and we hope to see her continue to set turfs on fire with her scorching speed and dribbling skills. I offer my best wishes to Salima for the upcoming tournaments and her promising career."
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