How The Silver-Winning Indian Women's Hockey Team Reminded us of 'Chak De India'

The Indian women's hockey team's superb performance during the current Asian Games was no less than a dream run.

While a silver medal win in the tournament after 20 years has made the whole nation proud, some people are drawing parallels between this team and the fictitious team portrayed in Shimit Amin's 2007 blockbuster movie 'Chak De India' starring Shah Rukh Khan as coach. Really? Let us find out how the two teams compare!

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#1 Gurjit Kaur's 10 Goals vs Preeti Sabharwal's Tally

Gurjit Kaur should be proud of her effort, ending as the tournament's second highest goal scorer

With ten goals in the tournament, Gurjit Kaur finished second behind China's Gu Bingfeng, who managed twelve goals.

In the movie 'Chak De India', the top scorer of the tournament was Preeti Sabharwal (played by Sagarika Ghatge), again from India.

Just like Preeti's crucial goal helped India equalize in the World Cup Final (as shown in the movie), Gurjit's solitary goal in the semifinal against China helped India assure a silver medal finish.

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#2 Savita Punia's Defense vs Vidya Sharma's Defense

Indian team conceded only three goals throughout the tournament, thanks to Savita Punia and the defenders.

The ratio of India's goals scored to the number of goals conceded was astonishing. The team scored 39 goals in the tournament and conceded only three goals. The credit goes to Savita Punia (goalkeeper and vice-captain) and defenders including Deep Grace Ekka, Sunita Lakra and Deepika Thakur.

Even in the movie, the goalkeeper and captain Vidya Sharma (portrayed by Vidya Malvade) is shown playing a crucial role, along with defenders Balbir Kaur (played by Tanya Abrol), Rani Dispotta (played by Seema Azmi) and others.

In the movie, Vidya's presence of mind during the last save - during the climax point of the movie - is instrumental in India winning the World Cup title. Similarly, in Thursday's semifinal, Savita blocked many potential goals in the semifinal, leaving China goalless and ensuring India's silver medal.

#3 Coach Sjoerd Marijne vs Coach Kabir Khan

Sjoerd

Marijne's

recent track record has been no less turbulent than that of a fictitious coach

Having coached the women's team a year back, Marijne was appointed as coach of the men's team for a while, He faced severe criticism for his coaching style, and was replaced after India's not-so-impressive outing at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.

In the movie, Kabir Khan (potrayed by Shah Rukh Khan in 'Chak De India') is also criticized for India's World Cup loss, during his playing career. He is branded as a traitor and anti-nationalist but comes back as coach after several years to revive a broken unit.

Just like Kabir Khan silenced his critics after the girl's team coached by him won the World Cup in the movie, Sjoerd Marijne has been an integral force in reviving the fortunes of Indian Women's Hockey - letting his achievements speak for themselves.

#4 Captain Rani Rampal vs Captain Vidya Sharma

Rani Rampal has led the team for the front.

Rani Rampal has been instrumental in keeping the side together, and lifting the side after a heartbreaking loss in the World Cup quarter-final played less than a month ago.

In the movie as well, captain Vidya Sharma (potrayed by Vidya Malvade) is shown as a disciplined, no-nonsense character who is focused on building the team and winning the World Cup.

Just as Vidya's save (in the movie) was crucial in India winning the World Cup, Rani Rampal led from the front by scoring a hattrick in the match against Thailand, a top team that narrowly missed out on a semifinal berth.

#5 Attacking Mindset of Actual Team vs 'Chak De' Team

The girls have looked to attack throughout, averaging 6.5 goals per match.

With 39 goals from just six matches, the girls have displayed an attacking mindset rather than a defensive one. While Gurjit Kaur ended as the team's top scorer with ten goals, Vandana Kataria scored six and Lalremsiami scored four goals.

The movie also shows Preeti Sabharwal (played by Sagarika Ghatge) and Komal Chautala (played by Chitrashi Rawat) take top honours.

However, other players (in the movie) such as Bindiya Naik (played by Shilpa Shukla), Aliya Bose (played by Anaitha Nair) and others chipped in with goals at crucial stages. A similar thing happened in the Asian Games, with captain Rani Rampal and Navjot Kaur scoring three goals each, Lilima Minz, Monika Malik, Neha Goyal and Udita scoring two each, and Deep Grace Ekka scoring a solitary goal as well.