5 min learnNew DelhiUp to date: Mar 12, 2026 11:43 PM IST
Bhiwani in Haryana is synonymous with boxing, however within the present Indian girls’s staff, a teen from the area is beginning to make her mark in hockey. Ishika, 18, is among the newcomers in head coach Sjoerd Marijne’s squad on the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers in Hyderabad and scored on her senior debut towards Uruguay on Sunday. On his return to the helm, the Dutchman has a critical rebuilding job forward of him as India’s fortunes have plunged internationally over the previous yr, and the 18-year-old ahead is among the children he has turned to.
Ishika’s journey started when her household was in Shahabad, that well-known Haryana hockey nursery that has produced many a celebrity for the Indian staff. “My father used to educate there. After I was younger, I went with my father and watched seniors play. After that, my father acquired transferred to Bhiwani, and I began taking it severely after I was in Class VI,” Ishika tells The Indian Categorical. “There weren’t many women enjoying hockey in Bhiwani who I might prepare with. So, I used to play together with boys and my elder brother. My father has been my coach for the reason that begin of my journey until I made it to the camps.”
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Her father, Virender Kumar, 60, is a hockey tragic; he nonetheless performs too, representing Haryana on the 2025 Masters Cup in Chennai – Hockey India’s match for gamers aged above 40. “At 60, I might need been the oldest participant there,” he says, including that he performed on the Inter College stage throughout his youthful days. Nevertheless it wasn’t a case of eager to reside his desires by his daughter; that half simply got here naturally. As Ishika places it, “I believe hockey was simply constructed into my genes, I believe. I by no means needed to play another sport.”
“She simply began enjoying hockey for leisure. She used to complete her homework and include me to the stadium, and I gave her a small stick and assigned just a few duties. Then very quickly, her ball management began getting actually good. She began getting critical, would follow lengthy hours on Sundays too, and that method, I too by no means took a time off. Her drive to play got here from inside her. I knew then she would turn into a superb participant,” Virender says.
Ishika along with her father and coach Virender Kumar. Credit score: Particular Association.
Virender, who’s now retired from his job as a government-appointed hockey coach, continues to coach youngsters in Bhiwani however concedes that it’s no Shahbad or Sonepat, the place Haryana’s most well-known names have come from. “Bhiwani has had a boxing heart for a few years. However it isn’t precisely recognized for hockey. There may be an astroturf for positive (Bhim Stadium), however the youngsters who come from the village will not be common. Should you get 30-40 youngsters of the identical age group, then they will have the identical stage of coaching. We simply have a few 8-year-olds and 12-year-olds, 5 19-year-olds, ten 20-year-olds. We don’t get the fitting group,” he says.
Harry Potter fan
Ishika is a self-confessed Potterhead, spends her free time studying books – The Alchemist is her favorite, however not Harry Potter, as she is a fan of simply the flicks – and is a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo. “I don’t watch numerous Bollywood motion pictures. I used to observe numerous animated motion pictures, however Harry Potter is my favorite. I’ve all components watched a number of occasions,” she says. “Each time I’m going residence, it’s a superb feeling to take a seat down with my mom and brother, rewatching these motion pictures. Whereas in class, it was nearly research and hockey, however since coming to the camps, I picked up the studying behavior, too.”
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On early proof, Ishika has that spark, as illustrated by her first objective – receiving a first-touch cross from one other teenager, Sakshi Rana and sweeping it previous a crowded defence. It was a becoming second as Ishika and Sakshi share a particular bond off the sphere too, each hailing from Haryana and enjoying collectively within the Junior World Cup collectively final yr. In actual fact, on the day the squad for the World Cup qualifiers was introduced, Ishika was a bundle of nerves and couldn’t deliver herself to take a look at the record . It was Sakshi who conveyed the message to her.
“Sakshi and I’ve a superb bonding, have recognized one another a very long time. We at all times discuss taking over areas on the pitch, pre-scan and be prepared for the following transfer. So, she noticed me, and as quickly as she hit the one-touch cross, my on-the-floor slap shot was good. To attain my first objective for India on debut, with my long-time pal supplying the cross, was a really particular second for me,” Ishika says.