Odia girl Anupa Barla in action for India

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 11: Three Odia hockey players have been selected for the national women’s team that will take part in the Electric Ireland Champions Challenge 1 beginning September 29 in Dublin.

Celebration gripped the Panposh Hostel in Rourkela, as its protégés Anupa Barla, Deep Grace Ekka and Rosaline Dung Dung have once again made their mark in the national game. While Rosaline has been representing the senior team for a long time, Anupa and Deep Grace will wear the national jersey for the first time.

“It is a matter of great pride for us that once again our players have made it to the national team. In fact, Odisha has given many players to the national team over the years. But since they join other sports agencies, they are not able to represent the state,” said Amulyananda Behari, who coaches the girls at Pansposh Hostel.

“Rosaline is a seasoned player. Though she works in Jharkhand, she has continued playing for Odisha. Anupa has overcome her short height to emerge as a talented forward. On the other hand, the sheer talent of Deep Grace has made her a great defender. Both the girls are now in Mumbai, where they have been working since last year,” said Behari.

Midfielder Namita Toppo also has a chance to secure a place in the team if she gets a fitness certificate, said secretary of Odisha Hockey Association, Pratap Satpathy.

“We are hopeful that she too gets a place. It’s a happy feeling that Odia girls have always been an integral part of the national team. We always contribute four to five players to the Indian side,” he said.

The news came at a time when Panposh officials were celebrating the runner’s up trophy of the junior men’s team at the recently concluded national championship.

Explaining the reason for Odia players regularly featuring in the national teams, Behari said: “The infrastructure at our hostel has improved over the years leading to better performances at all levels of the game.”

Satpathy, however, lamented the flight of Odia players to other states. “We wish the Odisha government had created jobs within the state for the players so that they were able to play for us as those from Punjab and Haryana do,” he said.

Last year, Barla’s two goals helped India beat Australia to finish third in the four-nation women’s Under-21 hockey tournament while with Deep’s grace India won a bronze at the Under-18 Girls’ Asia Cup Hockey Championship. Both players were part of the Indian team for the 6th Junior Women’s Asia Cup Hockey Tournament at Bangkok in June.