The members of the triumphant hockey team at the railway station. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Nov. 3: Hockey sensation Sumrai Tete, Masira Surin, Pushpa Pradhan, Anarita Kerketta and Adline Kerketta, who were members of the national squad which struck gold in the Afro-Asian Games at Hyderabad, returned home today to a warm welcome.

The five players from Jharkhand are employees of South Eastern Railway and are posted in the capital.

The reception at the railway station was grand and the players were given a standing ovation.

The station was packed with friends, relatives and fans who came to cheer their favourite players. The players were excited and it was a time for revelry. Police personnel had to be deployed at the station to control the crowd. The players, along with Bimal Lakra, a member of the national men’s team which defeated arch rivals Pakistan at Hyderabad, were whisked away from the station, were slated to meet chief minister Arjun Munda. Lakra also landed in the capital today and was received by his fans at Birsa Munda Airport.

The Jharkhand women hockey players dressed in their blue blazers with the emblem of the Ashok Chakra were euphoric.

The players said: “We played good hockey. It was the team effort that won us the medal. It is a matter of great prestige that we have won the tournament organised for the first time on home grounds,” they said.

Talking to The Telegraph, the players said foreign players have better infrastructure than their Indian counterparts.

“Foreign players are better off in many ways because they have the best of everything. On the contrary, we have to practice on grass. We do not get a chance to play much on astroturf. Playing on turf is very different than practising on grass,” said a player. “The astroturf ground in the capital was not available for practice because of lack of water and electricity. The ball moves faster on the turf than on the grass. Therefore, regular practice becomes mandatory,” she added.