With this, Vandana also became the first women player from India to play 300 international games.
India have been unbeaten so far in the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023, winning their first game 7-1 against Thailand, blanking Malaysia 5-0 and beating China 2-1 in a thrilling encounter.
The Indian women’s hockey team will lock horns with Japan on October 31, 2023, and then will be up against Korea on November 2, 2023.
Vandana came into the spotlight after she finished top scorer for the Indian team at the Junior Women’s World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany and played a key role in helping the team secure the bronze medal. She also played an important role in India’s historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She is also the first Indian Women’s Hockey Player to score a hat-trick in the Olympic Games.
She has also been honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2022. The veteran forward was a member of the Indian team that won the Asian Champions Trophy in 2016 and the 2017 Women’s Asia Cup. She helped the team clinch the bronze medal at the 2022 Asia Cup, finished third in the FIH Pro League 2021/22 and then won the FIH Nations Cup 2022. She also has the 2022 Commonwealth Bronze medal to her name.
Speaking on the milestone, Vandana said, “I am privileged to have represented India at national and international tournaments. Earning my 300th Cap is truly a special moment for me and the memory will live long in my mind. The journey has been really special, and I feel blessed to wear the national jersey again and again. I would like to thank Hockey India, my teammates and the support staff for their constant support over the years,” she said.
Congratulating Vandana Katariya on the accomplishment, Hockey India President Padma Shri Dr. Dilip Tirkey said, “I congratulate Vandana Katariya for earning her 300th International Cap. It is truly a memorable moment for any player to don the Indian Jersey and represent the country for this long. Her journey has been nothing but exceptional and I hope that we see more phenomenal performances from her going forward.”