Darwin, 3 June 2016: It is a moment of dual celebration for Deep Grace Ekka, who completes her 100 International Caps today at India’s final group stage match on her 22nd birthday at the 4 Nations Tournament.
The talented defender from Odisha made her debut at the Four Nations Tournament in Argentina (Quilmes and Paraná) in 2011 and has been an integral part of the squad since.
Ekka, hails from Sundargarh, a hockey hotbed that has produced several Indian internationals, and was one of the star performers at the FIH Junior World Cup in 2013, where the Indian eves won a bronze.
She was also part of the team that won the FIH World League Round 2 in New Delhi last year. Ekka was also part of the Silver medal winning team at the Asian Games in Incheon.
In her time in the senior squad the team has also won the Silver at the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in 2013 and the Bronze at the Women’s Hockey Asia Cup the same year. The star performer, Deep Grace Ekka, was also member of the squad for the 17th Asian Games Incheon (Korea) 2014, where Indian eves beat Japan by 2-1 and won the bronze medal. At the age of 13, Ekka was selected to join the residential Sundargarh Sports Hostel, run by the state government, one of the foremost hockey training centres in Odisha.
Congratulating her, Md. Mushtaque Ahmad, Secretary General, Hockey India said, “Deep Grace has been a part of our pathbreaking women team for a long while, and played an integral role in the qualification for the Olympics. It shows her immense talent & passion, that at such a young age she has already won a 100 caps. I wish her the best for all the future games and hope she continues to shine for the team.”
Live streaming details for the 4-Nations Tournament in Australia featuring India, Australia, Japan and New Zealand: http://www.epicentre.
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