By Adarsh Chauhan

New Delhi [India], March 9 (ANI): Emerging Indian women's hockey team midfielder Baljeet Kaur has opened up about her arduous journey from a humble childhood to the national senior team, crediting her family's resilience and a shift in mindset--which she learned from international stars--as the key factors to her success.

In an exclusive conversation with ANI, Baljeet, the 24-year-old hockey player who is currently featuring in India's campaign at the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers 2026, reflected on her early inspirations, the mental toll of being on the fringes of the national squad, and her experience in the Hockey India League (HIL).

Baljeet revealed that her love affair with hockey began not with a professional coach, but by watching her cousin. Baljeet shared that her interest in hockey began after watching her cousin leave early each morning to go to the ground. Watching her cousin, she also decided that she wanted to play hockey.

'When my uncle's daughter used to go to school, she would put on her shoes and stand outside the gate early in the morning. I would wake up early and watch her. I watched her daily. So I asked her, 'Where are you going?' She said, 'I am going to the ground.' So after that, I also told my mom that I wanted to go too. She said, 'They play hockey.' I told her that I wanted to play hockey as well. So, I started playing hockey after watching her,' Baljeet said.

However, during a state tournament, Baljeet shared that she could not participate because her family could not afford a hockey kit.

'There was a state tournament. I didn't have a kit. So the coach said that I would have to buy a kit. We didn't have enough money for my family to buy me a kit. Because of that, they didn't take me to the state tournament,' the midfielder revealed.

Baljeet said that over time, she learned about national tournaments and how players get selected for the Indian team. Watching senior team matches on TV inspired her deeply, and she began going to the ground every day with the goal of one day wearing the India jersey and representing the country.

'After that, slowly I got to know what Nationals are, how one gets into the India team... gradually I got to know everything, like how girls play in the senior team. Then our coach used to show us matches. When we watched on TV, we felt very happy seeing them. After that, I felt that I also had to play for the India team. So I used to go to the ground with this target only--that I have to wear the India jersey and play for India.'

Reflecting on her journey, Baljeet, who made her senior India debut in June 2022 at the 2021-2022 FIH Hockey Pro League, said that after joining the senior Indian team, she went through a challenging phase where she was not consistently part of the playing squad. The uncertainty sometimes made her think about quitting, but she kept herself mentally strong by believing that her opportunity to play regularly for India would come.

She added that she continued pushing herself on the field and drew motivation from her family's support. Whenever she felt low, she would reset the next day mentally and remind herself not to give up on her dream of representing India.

'I came into the senior team in 2022. After that, I wasn't playing continuously in the team. Sometimes I was in the squad, sometimes I wasn't. So I kept myself mentally strong, thinking that a day will come when I will play continuously for the team, for India. And I pushed myself on the ground. Sometimes it used to happen that I felt like stopping or giving up. A lot of things came to my mind. But then the next day, I would mentally prepare myself again that no, I have to play for my family. It's because of them that I am here today, because daily I used to think that I must not give up,' she said.

Baljeet Kaur was part of the Indian squad at the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2021 in Potchefstroom, South Africa, where the team finished in fourth place. She had earlier represented India at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the team won a silver medal.

Speaking about the transition from junior to senior hockey, Kaur said the biggest difference she noticed was the level of pressure. She explained that while playing at the junior level felt relatively pressure-free, competing in the senior team comes with significantly greater expectations and responsibility.

'Like when we played in juniors, there wasn't any pressure. Coming into seniors, there is pressure in the senior team,' she said.

Speaking about her experience in the Hockey India League (HIL), Baljeet Kaur said playing alongside international stars was a valuable learning opportunity. Representing the Odisha Warriors in the 2024-25 season of the HIL, she shared the team with several top players from around the world, like Australia's Kaitlin Jaye Nobbs and the Netherlands' Yibbi Jansen, which made the experience enjoyable and enriching. Notably, Baljeet Kaur won the HIL 204-25 Odisha Warriors.

She said observing their discipline and relaxed approach to the game taught her an important lesson--playing with enjoyment rather than stress often leads to better performances and improved results.

'Earlier, I was playing for the Odisha Warriors. We had quite good players in our team. Yibbi Jansen was there, a player from Argentina, and Nobbs from Australia. We had great players in our team. So it was a lot of fun playing with them. Seeing how disciplined they stay, and they have complete fun... I learned this from them, that they play for fun. They don't take anything with stress. They play freely, so I learned that if we play with enjoyment, we play quite well, and the results are also entirely different,' she said.

Speaking on the toughest opponent that she has faced, Baljeet Kaur said the Netherlands is among the toughest teams to face in international hockey, as their entire squad is filled with strong players rather than relying on just one standout performer.

'The toughest seems to be Holland (Netherlands). Their entire team consists of good players. It's not like we should focus on just one player. Their whole team is good. Hockey has become such that no side has a weak player. Mostly everyone brings their best team. Obviously, they also want to win. So I don't think there is any weak player,' she said.

India Women kicked off their FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers with a dominant 4-0 win against Uruguay on Sunday. They will now face Scotland in their second fixture of the Qualifiers tournament on Monday. After Scotland, India will face Wales on Wednesday. (ANI)