All that Sui Mui, a tribal hockey player in Kabir Khan's squad in the 2007 blockbuster Chak De! India, could say was Ho, Ho and Ho, to her coach Khan or to her fellow mates in the team. Though a Bollywood film with some inevitable stereotyping, it did sum up how talented players from remote villages in Jharkhand face language problems.

This, however, may change soon. Hockey Simdega, an affiliate of Hockey Jharkhand, has officially introduced the Queen's language in the daily curriculum in state-run SS Balika Hockey Training Centre, a free residential school-cum-hockey training centre for some 60 girls of the district handpicked for hockey potential.

General secretary of Hockey Simdega, Manoj Konbegi told The Telegrph over phone on Thursday night that English coaching for the cadets, who are also enrolled between Classes VI and XII, started from Thursday.

"We have tied up with the local chapter of Pratham, a New Delhi-based NGO, to teach English to our hockey girls from rural backgrounds in Simdega to make them ready for global playing fields," Konbegi said.

Three specialists from the NGO will train players for two hours daily in the evenings. "On the first day, the tutors interacted with each girl to test knowledge level so that a curriculum can be devised," Konbegi said.

On their English training routine, Konbegi admitted it was intensive. "We introduced the daily two-hour regimen for the girls to pick up the basics of speaking, understanding, reading and writing English fast," he said. "We want to see visible improvement."

Why this urgent need? "With changing times, the overall personality grooming of a player is a must. Undoubtedly, we are among the best talent pools nationally, but during selections and at national camps, our wards at times get sidelined due to their poor communication skills. Also, foreign coaches are often roped in for selections and at national camps. So, speaking English becomes imperative for a player. Otherwise, how can they learn or express their problems in learning?" Konbegi said. "In the next two-three months, we also plan to roll out to other centres in this district and introduce English labs for hockey players for which plans are being worked out," Konbegi added.

Touted as state's hockey district, Simdega, some 100km from Ranchi, boasts a galaxy of players such as Sylvanus Dungdung, Asunta Lakra, Michael Kindo, Justine Kerketta, Noel Topno, James Kerketta, Bimal Lakra, Sumarai Tete, Kanti Baa and Masira Surin.

But, while many top hockey stars wielded sticks on the field with great élan, the language barrier stumped them socially and professionally.

A former player of Simdega, who became well known later, told The Telegraph how language had been a problem initially. "I remember I was at the Jalandhar national training camp, where people spoke English, Hindi or Punjabi. Players like us who hailed from Jharkhand or Odisha felt shy and scared to open up. But with experience and exposure, I manage to speak basic English and flawless Hindi now," she smiled.

Savitry Purty, a young hockey player, said she and her friends normally talk in Mundari and Nagpuri on the field while playing. "That works out well here, but when I was at a national training junior India camp, most players were from Mizoram, Delhi and Punjab, and due to language gap, we felt cut off. Not knowing a common language makes it tough to gel with the team," she said.

"We welcome this decision of our Simdega outfit and will try to chalk out similar plans for all our affiliates," Bholanath Singh, president of Hockey Jharkhand, said.

Are English-speaking skills a must for players? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com