India men's national field hockey team represents India in international field hockey competitions, and is governed by Hockey India. The team was formerly under the control of Indian Hockey Federation. India was the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.
The Indian women's national field hockey team represents India in international field hockey, and is governed by Hockey India. Nabhvarna are currently ranked 6th in the FIH World Rankings, and are ranked as the best team in Asia. They have won the gold medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and 1982 Asian Games. They have also won the Women's Asia Cup twice, i.e. in 2004 and 2017. They also won the Asian Champions Trophy 2016 and 2023.
Mamta Kharab is an Indian former field hockey player, who represented the India women's national field hockey team. She also served as the captain of the Indian women's hockey team. During the 2002 Commonwealth Games, she scored the winning goal which gave India the Gold. She also served as the model for the character of Komal Chautala in the 2007 Bollywood hit, Chak De India. Now she is working in Haryana police as a Deputy Superintendent of Police. She is a recipient of the Arjuna Award.
India has a history of sports dating back to the Vedic period. Cricket is the most popular spectator sport; it generates the highest television viewership, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) being the most-followed league in the country. Football has also gained popularity, with the Indian Super League (ISL) being the highest level of domestic football, and the national team winning multiple gold medals at the Asian and South Asian Games. Additional football accomplishments include India having reached the semifinal of the 1960 Olympics, qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, and won the SAFF Championship. Other sports include kabaddi, badminton, tennis, and athletics, with kho-kho becoming the fourth-most viewed sport. India has also had success in field hockey, winning the World Cup and multiple medals in the Olympic Games. Sports such as golf, rugby, boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, motorsport, wrestling, and basketball are featured throughout the country.
Sardara Singh, sometimes referred as Sardar Singh, is an Indian field hockey coach and former field hockey player. He also served as the captain of the Indian national team. He usually plays the center half position. Sardara became the youngest player to captain the Indian team when he led the side at the 2008 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. He was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India, in 2015. On 13 July 2016, the responsibilities of the captain were handed over from him to P. R. Sreejesh, the goalkeeper of Indian Team. On 12 September 2018, Sardara announced his retirement from international hockey. He played 314 matches during 12 years in his career.
Rani Rampal is an Indian field hockey player and coach. At the age of 15, she was the youngest player in the national team which participated in the 2010 World Cup. She has completed her schooling but was not able to get the graduate degree due to practice sessions and matches which were lined up. She plays forward on her team. She has played 212 international matches and scored 134 goals. She is currently the Captain for Indian Women's Hockey Team. She is also well known as a striker who often doubles up as mid-fielder. She has a great fascination with CWG. In 2020, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri.
Vandana Katariya is an Indian field hockey player. She plays as a forward in the Indian national team. Vandana rose to prominence in 2013, being India's top goal-scorer in the 2013 Women's Hockey Junior World Cup, where India won a bronze medal; she scored five goals in the tournament, the third by any player.
Ritu Rani is an Indian former field hockey player, who represented the India women's national field hockey team. She also served as the captain of the national team. She plays as a halfback. Rani has led the team to medal winning performances most notably the bronze at the 2014 Asian Games. Also under her captaincy the team qualified for the Olympics after 36 years after finishing fifth in the 2014–15 Women's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals.
Savita Punia is an Indian field hockey player and is a member of the India women's national field hockey team. She hails from Haryana and plays as the goalkeeper. Savita Punia is also known as "Great Wall of India" because of her phenomenal and outstanding performance in 2020 Summer Olympics.
Rajani Etimarpu is an Indian field hockey player who represents the India women's national field hockey team. She hails from Andhra Pradesh and plays as a goalkeeper. She represents Railway Sports Promotion Board in the domestic tournaments.
Deep Grace Ekka is an Indian former field hockey player, who represented the India national field hockey team. She has been selected for Arjun award in 2022.
Manpreet Singh Pawar is an Indian field hockey player. He led the Indian field hockey team to the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He plays as a halfback.
Deepika Thakur is an Indian field hockey player and is currently the most senior and highest capped player of Indian women's Team. She plays as a Defender in the senior team and has represented India over 200 outings and has scored 24 goals.
Lalremsiami Hmarzote is an Indian professional field hockey player who plays as a forward and occasionally as a halfback for the Indian national team. At the club level, she plays for Sports Authority of India. Hmarzote was a part of the 18-member squad that represented India at the 2018 World Cup. At the Asian Games that followed, she became the first sportsperson from Mizoram to win an Asian medal after she won silver.
Neha Goyal is an Indian field hockey player and is a member of the India national team. She hails from Haryana and plays as the midfielder.
Deepika Kumari is a field hockey player and member of Indian women's hockey team. She hails from Hisar, Haryana. She plays for Indian Oil Corporation Limited in the domestic hockey tournaments. She has ten caps as a Senior India player. She plays as a forward and specialises in drag-flicks.
Mahima Choudhary is an Indian field hockey player and member of Indian women hockey team. She hails from Kalsi village in Uttar Pradesh. She plays for Indian Oil Corporation Limited in the domestic hockey tournaments. She plays as a defender.
Jyoti Chhatri is an Indian field hockey player and member of Indian women's hockey team. She hails from Panposh in Odisha. She is a product of Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre. She plays as a midfielder. She is selected in the Senior Indian squad for the 2023 Asian Games.
Bichu Devi Kharibam is a field hockey player and member of Indian women's hockey team. She hails from Manipur. She plays for Indian Oil Corporation Limited in the domestic hockey tournaments. She is a goalkeeper.
Mumtaz Khan is an Indian women's field hockey player from Uttar Pradesh. She plays as a forward. She made her senior India debut at the FIH pro-league at Bhubaneswar. She plays for Indian Oil Corporation Limited in the domestic tournaments.
