Bansari Solanki, keeper of SG Pipers' faith

Imagine being good enough because you were tall enough. Bansari Solanki never thought about becoming a goalkeeper when she began playing hockey as a teenager.

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“I started off just playing as a defender. But my school team didn’t have a goalkeeper for the under-14 championships. Since I was the tallest amongst all the girls in our group, my sports teacher just made me a goalkeeper,” says Bansari with a laugh. Foresight, or necessity, it proved a great decision as the 24-year-old helped SG Pipers win the Women’s Hockey India League with some brilliant goalkeeping during the penalty shootouts against Bengal Tigers over the weekend. It was a performance good enough to win her Goalkeeper of the Tournament award.




There’s more. Bansari, who hails from Surat, chose hockey only out of curiosity. When much younger, all she thought about was becoming an astronaut. Quite studious, she even did her Bachelor of Business Administration.

Today, it’s all about hockey and a major influence in shaping her has been Olympian Romeo James. In 2017-end, James took her under his wing at the National Hockey Academy in the Capital, honing her skills for the next six years.

“She was always a keen learner, used to ask lots of questions and was eager to work hard from the beginning,” remembers James, “I used to tell her to write down the points that I told her on the ground, and she used to do that diligently. Overall, she was a very intelligent goalkeeper.


James, part of the team that won the silver medal at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, says, “At first, we worked on her physical abilities so that she could be quick. She also used to practice with the boys’ team and receiving the hard shots made her become better.”

While Bansari has already made her international debut last year, James is aware she will have to prove herself to become a regular in the senior team. For her part, while Bansari is quite clear about what she needs to do, she is more than happy with the experience of the WHIL.

“It was a spectacular journey for SG Pipers and the bond we had. It was special and magical, as Sophie (Gierts) said,” she says.

Playing alongside Argentine goalkeeper Cristina Cosentino was a high point, but being coached by Gierts was what made it most special. “The way she has carried this team, the way she gave us opportunities and the way she has shown faith and belief, I think that’s what led us to the championship,” the goalkeeper said.

The WHIL experience will, hopefully, will help her confidence grow and shine for the national team when opportunity comes knocking again.


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