Who is Gurjit Kaur: Five things to know about the Indian eves' star drag-flicker

Premier India women's hockey team defender and designated drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur was one of the stars at Tokyo 2020, scoring four goals to help her side reach the Olympic semifinals for the very first time. She also ended up as the joint-top scorer for the Indian eves alongside forward Vandana Katariya.

It was Gurjit's goal that helped India prevail 1-0 over Australia in the quarter-finals, which was probably the upset of the tournament. She also scored in the semifinal loss against Argentina (2-1) and helped herself to a brace against Great Britain in the bronze medal match which India narrowly lost (4-3).

Let us know more about one of the most important players in the Indian women's hockey team.

Humble beginnings

Gurjit was born into a farming family and despite that her parents Satnam Singh and Harjinder Kaur wanted to educate their daughters. So much so, that even though there was a government school in her village, Miadi Kalan in Amritsar district, her parents enrolled them in a private school in Ajnala.

Her father would take them to school, which was 13kms away, on a bicycle and would wait until the classes finished. However, after suggestions from some of the relatives, her parents decided to enroll both the sisters into a boarding school.

First encounter with hockey

It was at the boarding school in Kairon -- one of the oldest hockey nurseries for girls in Punjab -- that Gurjit and her sister Pradeep took to the sport. Initially, it was a pastime but then both saw the opportunity.

“As we excelled in hockey, we got into the government wing. The free education and diet came as a big help for our parents,” Pradeep told The Tribune.

Pradeep, then, went on to become a national-level hockey player while Gurjit continues to go farther in chasing her dreams.

Team India call-up and rise to fame

Gurjit received her first call-up for the senior national camp in 2014. It was, however, only in 2017 that she found a permanent spot in the Indian women's hockey team and was quick to leave a mark. At the 2017 Asia Cup, she bursted on to the scene scoring eight goals, to become the highest goal-scorer at the continental event.

Switching of sticks

It was in 2018 that Dutch coach Sjoerd Marijne took over as coach for India women's team on a permanent basis. The Dutchman had, then, helped Gurjit resolve her issue with penalty corners. .

“The stick I used earlier felt light and I didn’t get enough power. So, when we went to Holland, Marijne asked me to try drag-flicking with a different stick. It was much better and I felt more powerful. The change has helped me,” Gurjit told The Tribune.

Change in technique

It was under the guidance of former Dutch player Toon Siepman that Gurjit emerged as one of the finest drag-flickers in the world. Siepman, who had worked as the penalty corner coach with the Belgian national team leading up to Rio 2016, worked on her basics to improve her appetite for goals.

"With Siepman, I corrected my basics like keeping my head up, how to turn my body and the stepping during the drag-flicking process,” Gurjit told The Tribune.

“These were minor changes, but I had never realized earlier that I was doing it incorrectly. He told me to ‘just make these small changes and you can become the best drag-flicker in the world’. I keep that in mind every time I work on drag-flicking.”