12-yr-old class VII girl becomes youngest ever hockey player to represent India

Bhopal: Most girls her age don’t even grow pimples and typically struggle to cultivate a hobby, much less determine a career goal and pursue it with all heart and soul, notwithstanding the obstacles along the way. However, 12-year-old Nammi Geethashri from Addu Road (Thimmapuram) in Andhra Pradesh was cut from a different cloth.

Born to a tea-seller father and raised in a hamlet of just about 215 residents, Nammi, a product of Madhya Pradesh hockey academy, punched well above her weight to earn a place in the U-18 Indian women’s hockey team for the Asia Cup scheduled to get underway in

Japan from May 29.

The bold selection call by Hockey India, with arguably no such precedent to call on, has made the Class 7 student the youngest-ever player set to represent India in the tournament.

Just to put her feat in context, she has even stolen a march over 15-year-old cricket prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who has wowed the world in junior cricket and lit up the IPL stage, but is yet to win an India cap.

The full Under-18 squad for the Asia Cup was announced on Friday.

Nammi’s rise to hockey stardom began with her helping out her family run the tea stall. She has since graduated to training with the country’s best and her fairytale selection story is already being hailed as one of grit, talent and determination.

Three years ago local coach Balireddy Suribabu first noticed Nammi at the stall where her father sells chai and snacks. “She knew nothing about hockey. But the moment she held a hockey stick, she never looked back. I knew one day she would represent India some day,” Suribabu told TOI.

“For someone so young, she’d show up for training without fail, even in pouring rain when we’d just do fitness drills,” her mentor recalled, adding that the academy environment accelerated her development.

What began as curiosity quickly turned into a single-minded pursuit. For nearly a year, the youngster hitchhiked 10 km daily to attend practice sessions under Suribabu, braving the vagaries of weather and never missing a session.

Family support and encouragement of locals played a pivotal role in her journey. It was Nammi’s cousin Mauli who pushed her parents to let her train under Suribabu. “She’s deeply passionate about the sport. For someone of her age, she has accomplished what most do not even dream of,” Mauli said.

Her parents — simple and humble with no prior connection to hockey — agreed to her being taken under the wings of Suribabu once they realised their daughter’s potential and the possibility of her traveling abroad.

Nammi’s breakthrough came after she was identified during a statewide talent hunt and admitted to the Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy two years ago. The academy, which offers free education and professional training facilities, proved transformative for the youngster, enabling her to develop under structured coaching that her family could not otherwise afford.

Her coach at the academy, Vandana, described Nammi as “chhota packet bada dhamaka” (small in size but big on impact), noting that while she did not anticipate her getting an India call so early in her career, consistent performances made it happen.

The national camp, which began in Bhopal on April 19 with 42 players, was trimmed to a 24-strong probable list after a week of intensive training, with Nammi securing one of the 18 final spots for the Asia Cup squad.

Her selection also drew praise from the MP govt, with sports minister Vishwas Sarang lauding the youngster as an “exemplar for everyone”.

As the word of her selection reached her village, the hamlet erupted in celebrations, with the feat set to inspire other aspiring young athletes across the region.