Hockey India congratulated Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam on completing 250 International Caps for India on Saturday. The Arjuna Awardee reached this milestone during India’s match against Germany in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024/25 at the iconic Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The 32-year-old veteran has had an illustrious career representing India for over a decade and will go down in history as one of the most celebrated women’s hockey players of India. Sushila started her journey as the Captain of the Indian Junior Women’s team which won the Bronze Medal at the Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup in 2013 and has since then, cemented her spot in the senior team consistently.
The former Indian captain led her side in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, the team’s first since 1980. She also represented India at the 2014 Asian Games where India won the Bronze Medal. The experienced midfielder was also part of India’s important Gold Medal win at the 2017 Asia Cup and has previously represented India at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games. Sushila also worked hard to ensure India’s qualification for the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 and the team’s historic fourth-place finish in the tournament.
In 2022, Sushila helped India bag bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the Asia Cup. She also played a huge role in India’s second consecutive Asian Champions Trophy win in 2024. In recognition of her relentless efforts representing the country at the world stage, Sushila was also honoured with the coveted Arjuna Award by the Government of India in 2023.
Upon reaching the special milestone Sushila stated, “I am grateful for having completed 250 international caps for my country. It has been a wonderful journey so far and I am looking forward to representing and winning for my country even more in the coming years. On this emotional and special moment, I would like to thank my family, teammates and support staff for believing in me and helping me achieve this feat. Without all my teammates over the years, I would have never achieved this, so I am thankful to everyone who has been part of my journey and helped me over the years.
“I would also like to thank Hockey India for their continued support and for giving me the opportunity to wear my country’s colours and play the sport I love so dearly. I promise to work even harder and give my everything on the field,” she added.
Congratulating Sushila, Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey said, “Extremely proud to see that Sushila has played her 250th international match for India. A generational talent, she has worked very hard to reach here and we thank her for her relentless efforts on the pitch. I am sure this will inspire the younger generations, especially in Manipur from where we have seen countless special talents rise through the ranks.”
Hockey India Secretary General Shri Bhola Nath Singh added, “I am extremely happy for Sushila because this is a very big achievement and I am proud to have her in our team. Her journey over the years is truly inspiring and I am excited to see the new heights she will achieve in her career.”
