Odisha’s Lilima Minz completes 150 International caps for India

Bhubaneswar: Indian Women’s Hockey Team Midfielder Lilima Minz, who hails from Odisha, today achieved the milestone of playing 150 International matches for the country.

Lilima achieved the feat during India’s final match of the Olympic Test Event against Japan held at the Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo, Japan.

“It is an extremely proud moment for me to be completing 150 International Caps for my country. My career took off after joining the Panposh Sports Hostel in Rourkela, and I thank my coaches from Odisha who helped me in my formative years. I feel fortunate to be part of this talented Indian team where teammates and support staff are more like family members. The experience of representing the nation 150 times has been amazing over the years, and I have been fortunate enough to have won some medals for the country. It is again an important phase leading up to next year’s Olympic Games, and I am looking forward to achieving our team goals and keep making the country proud,” Lilima said.

The 25-year-old from Sundergarh district made her International debut for the Indian Women’s Team in 2011 during the Four-Nation Tournament in Argentina. She became a regular feature in the Indian Women’s Team from December, 2012 when she took part in the series against New Zealand.

Her consistent performances for the Indian team saw her represent the nation at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and she also became a part of the side that won Bronze Medal at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, Korea. She went on to represent India at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, where the Indian Women’s Hockey team made their first appearance after a gap of 36 years. The midfielder’s most recent achievement was winning the Silver Medal with the team at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.