Barcelona: The Indian Men's Hockey Team's fourth match of the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation - International Tournament against the Netherlands saw midfielder Nilakanta Sharma achieve the milestone of completing 100 International Caps for India.
Hailing from Imphal, Manipur, Nilakanta rose through the ranks of junior set-up, where he won a Gold medal at the 2015 Junior Asia Cup and the Junior World Cup title in 2016. He then made his Senior National debut against Belgium during India's tour of Europe in 2017 and went on to become a mainstay in India's midfield.
The 28-year-old featured in the 2018 Asian Champions Trophy where the team lifted the title as joint-winners with Pakistan and was part Gold medal win at the FIH Men’s Series Finals in Bhubaneswar in 2019, as per a press release from Hockey India.
Nilakanta was also an integral part of India's historic Bronze medal win at Tokyo Olympic Games 2020, a third-place finish at FIH Hockey Pro League 2021/22 and the Silver medal win at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The midfielder was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2021 for his contributions to the team's historic feat in Tokyo.
"I wear the Indian jersey with great pride and honour, and it's a huge moment for me to have represented the nation in 100 International matches. I feel very fortunate to wear this jersey, and I thank each and everyone who has supported me throughout the journey. This feat certainly inspires me to do even better for my team and the nation," expressed Nilakanta.
Congratulating the youngster on his accomplishment, Hockey India President Padma Dr Dilip Tirkey said, "I congratulate Nilakanta on completing 100 International Caps for India. He is one of the promising talents to have emerged from the 2016 Junior World Cup- winning team. He has proved his mettle with some remarkable performances over the past few years. A lot of young hockey players in Manipur look up to him for what he has achieved for the country. I wish Nilakanta the very best for the future.". (ANI)
