Hockey: Baljeet Kaur’s speedy rise from Tarn Taran to India’s squad for Olympic qualifiers, with help from a former World Cupper

It was a call of duty that saw Daljit Singh Dhillon relocate to Tarn Taran, the drug-infested district near Amritsar. And chance, that the then Deputy Superintendent of Punjab Police and former India forward stumbled upon a group of girls playing hockey at a government school ground.

“I saw them while I was out jogging in the morning. There were around 20-25 girls. They didn’t have basic gear and the condition of the ground wasn’t great either. I saw them a few times and then couldn’t resist myself from asking them if they wanted ‘India’ training,” Dhillon says, referring to the methods he’d experienced with the national team. For the girls, most of them in their pre-teens, it was a no-brainer. “They agreed,” Dhillon adds.

On Saturday, 12 years after the World Cupper accidentally spotted them, one of the girls from there – Baljeet Kaur – will step onto the field in front of packed stands in Ranchi when India start their bid to qualify for the Paris Olympics with a match against the USA in a do-or-die tournament.

We are almost there!

Just 2️⃣more days before our Women's team begin their FIH Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi, 2024.

🗓️ 13th January to 19th January 2024
🏟️ Ranchi, India
📺 Watch LIVE on @JioCinema and @Sports18 #HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #EnRouteToParis@CMO_Odisha… pic.twitter.com/WxkBj5imR6

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) January 11, 2024

Baljeet wasn’t an automatic choice for coach Janneke Schopman when she picked her squad of 18 for the tournament. But three days into the New Year, the team was dealt a massive blow when forward Vandana Katariya, a veteran of more than 300 international matches, fractured her cheekbone during training and was ruled out of the tournament.

And just like that, the 22-year-old Baljeet has been thrown into the deep end. She isn’t a like-for-like replacement – Vandana was a constant threat inside the ‘D’ for India’s opponents; Baljeet, who idolises former men’s team captain Manpreet Singh, is more of a playmaker who is lightning quick in the midfield apart from being a reliable stopper during penalty corners.

With India running thin on goal-scoring options, Baljeet will be expected to use her speed, dodging skills and vision to create opportunities and remain flawless in set-piece situations by stopping the ball dead so that the drag-flickers can do their thing.

“Baljeet is a very promising player,” Schopman says. “She has shown in the last year that she’s more than capable of playing in tournaments. She went to Europe with the national team and played a lot of games there; played in the Asian Champions Trophy too. She’s a speedy player, works very hard and hopefully will bring herself to the game. That’s what I expect.”

Ahead of the FIH Olympics Qualifiers, Ranchi 2024.
Here's what our Women's Team Captain Savita and Head Coach Janneke Schopman had to say on the team's preparations ahead of the tournament.#IndiaKaGame #HockeyIndia #EnRouteToParis @CMO_Odisha @Media_SAI @FIH_Hockey… pic.twitter.com/3JRgo4SGY1

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) January 11, 2024

The only thing speedier than a Baljeet Kaur in full flow has been her rapid rise through the ranks. “I never thought I’d come this far,” Baljeet, whose father is a mason and got introduced to the sport through her cousin sister, says. “If it wasn’t for Daljit Singh Dhillon, I wouldn’t have been here. He took interest in us, trained us and provided us with hockey equipment.”

For Dhillon, coaching a bunch of girls in a remote Punjab village was both an opportunity to return to hockey and also make amends for the abrupt end to his playing career.

In 2005, Dhillon was suspended by the Indian Hockey Federation — back then the governing body of the sport –– for assaulting a rival player in a domestic tournament. He never returned to the national team after that incident. Dhillon sounds embarrassed over the ‘controversy’ and coaching the group of girls rekindled his association with the sport.

“All the girls came from underprivileged backgrounds. When I asked them if they’d be interested in formal coaching, the first thing they said was their parents won’t be able to afford fees,” Dhillon, who recently coached the Punjab men’s team to the National title, says.

He reached out for financial help to his NRI friends, who readily chipped in. With that, Dhillon purchased shoes, playing kit, sticks and dietary requirements. “Once this was sorted, I approached the families of the girls. None of them were reluctant – for the girls and their families, getting shoes, proper nutrition and other amenities was an incentive to join,” he says.

Lakhwinder Singh, Baljeet’s father, says: “There was no reason for us to stop her from playing. All her basic requirements – from food to hockey stick – were taken care of by Daljit. On rare occasions when he couldn’t meet any demand, we would step in. I didn’t earn much but it was enough to ensure my daughter’s hockey dreams were not curtailed.”

#Watch | The lines are drawn, the stage is set for 8 teams to fight it out for the last spots at Paris Olympics 2024.
Ranchi is buzzing for an action packed hockey week starting from 13th of January.

Watch the Indian Women's team in action at the FIH Olympic Qualifiers, 2024

📅… pic.twitter.com/zPtord8rxH

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) January 10, 2024

Dhillon’s brother Baljit Singh, a former India captain and a three-time Olympian, and other ex-internationals would routinely drop by at the academy, where special emphasis was laid on fitness drills apart from honing hockey skills.

Over the years, as the local government chipped in with support, the number of players at the academy swelled to approximately 80 and a bunch of unassuming girls from the back of the beyond were transformed into future India prospects.

Before Baljeet, Rajwinder Kaur – also mentored by Dhillon – made her India debut. And while she fell out of favour, Baljeet caught the attention of the team management with her performances in the domestic circuit and junior India matches.

A decade ago, Baljeet was playing for fun with her sister and friends at a school ground. Now, India’s Olympic hopes rest on a squad that she’s a part of.

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