New Delhi, Jun 13 (PTI) ‘Believe in yourself’ — these words from former India captain Rani Rampal seem to have had a transformational effect on young drag-flicker Neelam Panghal, who emerged the star of the side, scoring the winning goal for India in the Junior Asia Cup final against Korea in Japan on Sunday.

The 19-year-old ‘go-getter’ from Hisar district in Haryana struck in the 41st minute as India defeated four-time champions Korea 2-1 in Kakamigahara, Japan on Sunday.

“Whenever she (Rani) conducted a session, she told us to ‘believe in yourself’, and that is what inspired me,” said Neelam on Tuesday.

“I took a few penalty corner sessions from Rani di in Bengaluru, especially about her hitting skills. When I was young and started taking penalty corners, I used to drag (the stick) but I started taking hits watching Rani di. I have learnt a lot from her.” Neelam became determined after seeing her sisters fail to make it to the national level and the resolve only grew with time.

“I took up hockey watching my sisters play the sport. I used to accompany them to the ground and, with time, developed a liking for the game. I then joined the Sports Authority of India hostel in Hisar in 2014 and honed my skills under Azad Singh Malik sir.

“I played my first sub-junior tournament in 2016 and since then I’ve never looked back,” Neelam, who scored five goals from penalty corners during in the Junior Asia Cup, told

Source: PTI News