Former India skipper Rani Rampal has announced retirement from hockey. The 29-year-old confirmed her decision to step down as a player from the sport as she is ready to take up mentoring role in the Women's Hockey India League. Rani Rampal represented India in 254 matches scoring a total of 205 goals. Her contribution to Indian hockey is immense having made her debut back in 2008 at the age of only 14.
She was the captain when the Indian hockey team created history in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics finishing fourth. "It's been an outstanding journey. I never thought I would play for so long for India. I have seen a lot of poverty since childhood but my focus was always to do something, represent the country," she said at the press conference. Rani Rampal was honoured with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award in 2020 while she is also the recipient the country's fourth highest civilian award, Padma Shri.
During her decorated career, Rani witnessed the rise of Indian hockey and is looking forward to a new role with Soorma in the upcoming Women's Hockey India League. In an exclusive interview to India TV recently, the two-time Asian Games medalist stated that she is excited to help the younger in the league. "It's a new role for me and a challenging one for me as I always wanted to explore new things in my life apart from a player.
"I will give my best in this new role and will share my experience with youngsters to help them in their development," she said. "I definitely thought of participating in the league as a player but now I want to stay connected with a game as a mentor. I have already fulfilled my role as a player but now it's time to see how I do in this new mentorship role. New players need support, especially a mental one for the new emerging players in this league. I will look to help them in any way I can which will be good for this game," Rani Rampal added.
