How The Silver-Winning Indian Women's Hockey Team Reminded us of 'Chak De India'
The Indian women's hockey team's superb performance during the current Asian Games was no less than a dream run.
While a silver medal win in the tournament after 20 years has made the whole nation proud, some people are drawing parallels between this team and the fictitious team portrayed in Shimit Amin's 2007 blockbuster movie 'Chak De India' starring Shah Rukh Khan as coach. Really? Let us find out how the two teams compare!
#1 Gurjit Kaur's 10 Goals vs Preeti Sabharwal's Tally
With ten goals in the tournament, Gurjit Kaur finished second behind China's Gu Bingfeng, who managed twelve goals.
In the movie 'Chak De India', the top scorer of the tournament was Preeti Sabharwal (played by Sagarika Ghatge), again from India.
Just like Preeti's crucial goal helped India equalize in the World Cup Final (as shown in the movie), Gurjit's solitary goal in the semifinal against China helped India assure a silver medal finish.
#2 Savita Punia's Defense vs Vidya Sharma's Defense
The ratio of India's goals scored to the number of goals conceded was astonishing. The team scored 39 goals in the tournament and conceded only three goals. The credit goes to Savita Punia (goalkeeper and vice-captain) and defenders including Deep Grace Ekka, Sunita Lakra and Deepika Thakur.
Even in the movie, the goalkeeper and captain Vidya Sharma (portrayed by Vidya Malvade) is shown playing a crucial role, along with defenders Balbir Kaur (played by Tanya Abrol), Rani Dispotta (played by Seema Azmi) and others.
In the movie, Vidya's presence of mind during the last save - during the climax point of the movie - is instrumental in India winning the World Cup title. Similarly, in Thursday's semifinal, Savita blocked many potential goals in the semifinal, leaving China goalless and ensuring India's silver medal.