At 5-foot-10, she is the tallest player in the Indian women’s kabaddi team. Mumbai: It is easy to spot Sanju Devi on the kabaddi mat.
It was a fruitful tournament for her as she won the player of the tournament award while India won the title.
She plays a high-risk game, and whenever raiding becomes tough with five defenders on the mat, we send her in and she brings back points, almost always,” Poojari, the deputy coach of the team, told HT over the phone from the Games venue. “Masti ke liye khelte the. (I used to play for fun),” the 24-year-old had told HT. At that time, things were getting better for me diet-wise, but some damage had already been done,” she said. I was told it may need surgery, but I don’t come from a financially stable background.
Within the circles of her sport though, it is her skill and strength that sets her apart. Former India captain Mamtha Poojari calls her the team’s “X-factor. And you could tell why. Through her long levers, she picks up touch points with relative ease, and with her power, she overcomes tackles and defenders almost at will. “She is a player who can turn a match around at any moment. “There was never a thought of playing for the national team. Lots of the girls in my neighbourhood and village used to play in school, so I joined them. “I picked up a shoulder injury during the tournament. My parents are farmers. We didn’t have the funds for a surgery. She performed well enough to earn a spot in the Indian team once again for the World Cup in December. But the injury aggravated and she desperately needed surgery.
It’s for what Sanju brings to the squad that the team held its breath earlier this year, as their star-raider underwent surgery on her right shoulder. “I was selected to play for India for the first time at the Asian Championships last year. These skills were well on display at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday as Sanju put in a star performance again to help the India women’s team to win a second consecutive gold medal.
