New Delhi, ,JUN 5
For Bansari Solanki, being a reserve goalkeeper for the Indian Women’s Hockey Team is not a place of uncertainty–it is a position of patience, preparation, and pride, according to a release from Hockey India.The 24-year-old from Surat, Gujarat, has been part of the senior national camp for the past two years and was recently named as a reserve goalkeeper in India’s squad for the upcoming European leg of the FIH Pro League 2024-25.Bansari is quietly putting in the work, staying mentally tuned in, and waiting for the moment her name is called. “I have learned to treat every training session like my debut,” Bansari says. “It may not be today or tomorrow, but when the opportunity comes, I’ll be ready–not just to play, but to make it count.”Her journey from a schoolgirl who stumbled into goalkeeping in the 8th grade to a rising star in Indian hockey is a testament to resilience and quiet determination. Initially, a studious child with dreams of becoming an aeronautical engineer, Bansari’s hockey career began when her school’s sports teacher needed a goalkeeper for the Under-14 team. Her height and build made her the natural choice. “It was never my plan,” she recalls. “I didn’t want to be a goalkeeper. But somehow, that one decision changed my life.”Growing up in Gujarat, a state not known for a strong hockey culture, opportunities were few. But that changed when hockey legend and Padma Shri awardee Dhanraj Pillay became the Technical Director and High Performance Director for the Sports Authority of Gujarat. “If I’m here today, it’s because of Dhanraj sir,” she reflects. “He gave me my first real platform. That’s when I truly began to love the game.”Her performance at the Sub-Junior Nationals led to her selection for the prestigious National Hockey Academy in Delhi. “It was overwhelming,” she recalls. “I came from a place where we played in local kits and suddenly, I was in a national-level setup, wearing top-of-the-line goalkeeper’s gear, sharing dorms with the country’s best young talents.”At just 17, Bansari left behind her family and familiar life to pursue her dream in Delhi.
