Most teams have a first-choice goalkeeper. The Indian women’s hockey team splits the job between Savita Punia and Bichu Devi Kharibam.
They rotate on the basis of tactical decisions, tournament stages, opposing teams and also by halves. As the Asian Games unfold, the pair from Haryana and Manipur guard the same goal and each other.
, the veteran, is India’s primary mainstay in goal. Meanwhile, Bichu frequently steps in during matches and shares duties across tournaments.
Savita has always leaned on a fellow goalkeeper to confide in. “Whatever comes to my mind, my colleagues, like earlier it used to be Rajani, I used to share my thoughts with Rajani (Etimarpu), now it’s Bichu. So I share my things with Bichu, whatever I feel”, she said, while speaking to Sports Now.
‘We definitely compete’: Savita Punia
Sharing the same position does not mean the competition disappears. Its presence is felt during training.
“We definitely compete. If we don’t compete with each other, how will we grow? If I want to become better, I have to make Bichu better. And I trust myself that I can make myself even better. So we have a very healthy environment between us; we support each other very much, and we have a close relationship… You are competitors only in training. I think that being each other’s competitor in training is very necessary; only then can you grow.”
Bichu also draws the same line between practice and match day.
“When I talk about competition, we always have a competition. If I do well, she tries to do well. We have the same competition in practice. When we go to play for India, we are together. I want her to play well for India and perform well for the team. When I go [to play for] India, she wants me to perform well for India and the team,” she said.
The goalkeeper from Manipur points out that the competition is visible in training and shows most.
“When the coach comes and trains us, if he throws a six-ball at me or does a drill, if I score a good round, my sister thinks that she will try to score a good round as well… But if I don’t score a good round, we tell each other that we can do it. Then I tell her that she can do it as well,” she said.
‘I have learned a lot from her’: Bichu Devi
For her, it is a relationship built on motivation. She is younger than Savita, and the Haryana ace is like a teacher as much as a teammate.
“I have learned a lot from her… and she treats me like a sister. She has taught me a lot, and I have learned a lot from her… We learn from each other. Our bonding has been good… We were able to give 100% to each other. We were able to talk to each other and help each other.”
Meanwhile, Savita says that teaching runs down the line to the next generation, and comes back to her as pressure.
“If I, whether it’s Bichu or other goalkeepers with Bichu, like our Bansari (Solanki), Madhuri (Kindo), whoever, we always teach each other so that as they learn, I will push myself even more, knowing there is competition behind me; I need to improve myself further,” says the veteran.
Bichu calls her senior Savita di, which shows her respect for the veteran.
“When I was under pressure, I would ask Savita di what I should do. She would explain it to me. When Savita di was going, I would tell her, ‘There’s no need to think about it. Just be free-minded. I know you can do it.’ We motivate each other. We support each other.”
The responsibilities are shared. When one is out on the pitch, the other is in the dugout. But the result belongs to both.