Staying away from the pitch helped me gain perspective: Indian women's hockey team midfielder Nikki Pradhan

Bengaluru, Nov.10: The Indian women's hockey team midfielder Nikki Pradhan, who has played over 100 matches for the national side, expressed that the time spent away from the pitch has helped her gain perspective.

She said that the break came at the right time for her as it gave her time to think about how she wants to take her career forward once the Indian team starts competing in the international circuit again.

"Sometimes when we are playing tournament after tournament, we don't have enough time to take a moment to think about a few aspects of our game. I thought the break came at the right time for me as I just crossed the 100-match milestone. While I stayed away from the pitch, I got a chance to think about the kind of mistakes I made in my preparation for matches in my first 100 matches and how I can rectify them going forward," said the midfielder.

Pradhan added that she is very happy with the way she is improving with every sports activities session.

"It's been great getting back into the groove since August. All of us have understood how much we love the sport and how big an honour it is to play for India on a regular basis. The sudden boost of enthusiasm has certainly helped all of us to improve with every sports activities session. We are very thankful to Hockey India and SAI for ensuring all the procedures are in place before we started our practice for the Olympics. I am very happy with the way my game is shaping up so far," said the 26-year-old.

The midfielder expressed that the Indian team will certainly need a considerable number of matches against top teams before the Olympics.

"We have given everything we have in the last four years to become a better side and now we are confident of taking on any side in the world. If we play to our potential, we will certainly make history in Tokyo," said Pradhan.

Source: Hockey India