Hockey India has officially retired jersey number 28 in honour of Rani Rampal, one of the most celebrated figures in women's hockey. The announcement came as Rampal announced her retirement from the sport on October 24. The official X handle for India Hockey shared a 19 second video with the caption, “Rani Rampal’s 𝓝𝓾𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 28 𝓳𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓮𝔂 will forever be etched in history, a tribute to her remarkable career.”
Rampal, 29, expressed her feelings during a media interaction, reflecting on her decade-long journey with pride. “It’s been an outstanding journey. I never thought I would play for so long for India. I have seen a lot of poverty from childhood, but the focus was always to do something, represent the country,” she said in a press conference.
Making her debut for the Indian women’s team at just 14 years old in 2008 during the Olympic Qualifier in Kazan, Russia, Rampal has represented India in several international competitions. She played a crucial role in the team’s performance during the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Rampal’s illustrious career includes winning the 2017 Asian Cup, where she was instrumental in the team’s success, and contributing to India’s silver medal finish at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. She also competed in the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and 2018.
For her on-field achievements, Rampal received the Arjuna Award in 2016. She was honoured with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2020 and also received the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award, in the same year.