You must have heard and read the name of Vandana Kataria a lot in the coming hours. She became the first Indian woman to score a hockey hat-trick at the Olympics, following India's 4–3 win against South Africa. And there was a whole slew of goals, needed for the day when the South African, buoyed by a brave Phumlela Mbande in goal, would simply refuse to give up.
This result placed him in the hunt for his first appearance in an Olympic knockout, but the result was more than just scores, or Vandana's goals, each with a precise, appropriate deflection. Like Navneet Kaur's goal against Ireland on Friday, the deflection is the biggest deception in the team's attacking armour. They require balance, stability, courage, anticipation and heart... all of which are evident in the Indian forwardline in these two matches.
With this hat-trick, she finally broke away from even the crucial shadow of her captain, Rani Rampal, technically her junior in this team.
Vandana was drawn to the sport inspired by her sister Reena, who also played hockey. One of eight children, Vandana's father Nahar Singh was a wrestler, and he encouraged his children to play, irrespective of gender, in their early years at Roshanabad near Haridwar.
He made his debut at the age of 15 in 2007, a few years before Rani, who later became the more established star between the two. Two of them also form the core of the team from the 2013 Junior World Cup side, when India won an unprecedented bronze in Mönchengladbach. Rani was then the player of the tournament, but Vandana showed her flair in the attack as well and scored India's first hat-trick against Russia. Rani, Vandana, Navneet, Sushila Chanu, Deep Grace Ekka, Monica Malik and Navjot Kaur were all bronze medalists together, and have added weight in India's last two victories, which kept them alive at these Olympics. Is.
She has long been touted as the most talented player on the current team, but her inability to deliver on the big opportunity in the past stands in stark contrast to some of the stellar moments featuring Queen. A fluent goal scorer in her early days, Vandana often falls deep into the current setup, allowing young strikers like Lalremsiami and Sharmila Devi to advance and attack the target.
On Saturday, she was on hand to turn on the first crucial opportunity coming India's way, a strong slap inside the circle from Navneet that he inexplicably directed Munde.
Penalty corner (PC) conversion has been an issue for India in these games, with South Africa scoring just one of 22 goals in the game. Her carelessness in the opening round would have terrified coach Sjoerd Marijne today, but then Vandana struck a clever and valiant four with a vicious slap from Deep Grace in the 17th minute, helping South Africa take a wicket after India. The lead was restored. Late target to finish the first quarter.
South Africa just won't go away, though, and with the game tied at 3-3, this time it was time for Gurjit Kaur to drag-flick a PC, which was charged by Vandana, and just to put her. Got enough of your stick. To the far post behind Mbande.
Her expression said it all – with the campaign on the line, senior supporters were taking charge. It was a welcome change from previous campaigns, where almost everything ultimately boiled down to the Queen.
It still may not be enough, but India have rediscovered a champion player during five tough days in Tokyo.