Goalkeeper Savita Punia became the most-capped Indian women’s hockey player in history on Monday after surpassing the previous record of 320 senior international appearances held by former India striker Vandana Katariya.
Savita Punia reached the milestone during India’s Pool B fixture against Indonesia at the ongoing Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Known across the hockey world as ‘The Wall of India’ for her shot-stopping skills in open play and her nerveless record in penalty shoot-outs, the 36-year-old Savita made her senior international debut in 2009.
Since then, she has been ever-present through three Olympics, two Asian Games campaigns, the Commonwealth Games and multiple Asian Champions Trophy and FIH Pro League seasons.
She was also a long-time captain of the Indian women’s team before the current skipper Salima Tete took over.
Savita reached her 300th international cap in February 2025 against the Netherlands in the FIH Pro League, becoming only the second Indian woman to cross the mark and only the second goalkeeper from the country, after PR Sreejesh, to do so in international hockey.
She equalled Vandana’s record of 320 caps on Sunday during India’s emphatic 19-0 win over Uzbekistan in the Asian Games 2026 opener before eclipsing it on Monday.
Vandana, India’s all-time leading goal-scorer, also made her international debut in 2009 – the same year as Savita – and retired in April 2025 with 320 caps and 158 goals across a 16-year career.
“I want to start by saying thank you – to my family, my coaches, my teammates and every single person who has stood behind me since I was a young girl learning to save my first penalty corner. Honestly, I never thought I would reach this milestone,” Savita said.
“When I started, I was just trying to earn my place in the team and make my family proud. I never imagined I would one day be called the most-capped player in the history of Indian women’s hockey. This record doesn’t belong to me alone – it belongs to everyone who has played alongside me, and to Vandana too, because she set the bar and pushed all of us to reach higher.
“My biggest hope now is that the younger generation coming up sees this and believes it’s possible for them too. I want them to keep growing, keep working and keep dreaming big for Indian hockey. This game has given me everything, and I will keep giving back to it for as long as I can.”
Savita Punia hockey career highlights
- Three-time FIH Goalkeeper of the Year (2020, 2021, 2023)
- Vice-captain of the India team that finished a historic fourth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
- Part of the team that finished fifth at FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 – best finish in 52 years
- Captained India to a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, sealed with a match-winning penalty shoot-out performance
- Led India to the inaugural FIH Nations Cup title in 2022
- Recipient of the Arjuna Award (2018) and the Padma Shri (2025)
- Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year (2015, 2024)
- Hockey India Balbir Singh Senior Award for Player of the Year (2021, 2022, 2024)
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/savita-punia-india-women-hockey-player-most-capped
