Neeta Dhadwe confident of Indian women winning Asian Games gold

Arjuna Awardee Neeta Dhadwe is confident the Indian women’s kabaddi team can win gold at the Asian Games in Japan. The former Railways captain and coach believes India’s balance in offence and defence will help overcome key challengers

Hyderabad: The Indian women’s kabaddi team, gunning to win gold at the Asian Games later this month in Japan, could not have asked for a more inspirational athlete than Neeta Dhadwe to mentor its campaign.

Having played for Indian Railways for 14 long years, including eight years as captain, and won gold at the Nationals repeatedly, the Arjuna Awardee does not need to look far to understand what the team needs to achieve its goal.

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The simple reason is that she was part of the formidable Railways team, which invariably supplies the core of match-winning talent, and Neeta is clearly conscious of the needs and aspirations of the Indian women’s team this time around too.

For the record, two national camps ahead of the Asian Games were held in Gandhinagar and Bellary before the final camp was held again in Gandhinagar, ahead of the team’s departure for Japan.

“We will not be satisfied with anything short of gold. That is the target and I am confident we will come back again with the gold,” asserts Neeta in a chat with Telangana Today.

She backs her confidence on the fact that she has coached Indian Railways for 12 years and is clearly aware of the strengths of the Indian team too.

Significantly, winning Asian Games gold is not new for Neeta, as she was the head coach at the 2014 edition of the Asian Games too.

“We are conscious of the fact that Iran is in our pool. But once we make it to the knockout phase, the other major threat can be Chinese Taipei. But given the terrific record the Indian team has over the years, we should come back with flying colours,” said Neeta, the chief superintendent in South Central Railway.

“We have a perfect balance in offence and defence, with captain Pushpa Rana expected to lead from the front. Pinki Roy and Ritu Negi (Arjuna Awardee), both from SCR, Jyothi Thakur and Manisha are key members, along with raiders Sanju Devi and Puja Hatwala,” she explained.

“In the final camp before we leave for the Asian Games, the focus will be on combination practice and speed practice,” said Neeta, who owes a lot to her mentor and former Railways coach Dhanam Reddy.