From Orissa Villages to the Asian Games: Stories of the Indian Women’s Rugby Team

(From left) Odisha players Sandhyarani Tudu, Dumuni Marndi, Nirmalya Rout and Mama Naik on Monday in Kolkata Kolkata: Odisha’s rugby pipeline continues to fuel India’s women’s sevens program with four players from the state’s selection earning a spot in the squad for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.Senior fighter Dumuni Marndi (Mayurbhanj) will feature in her second Asian Games alongside Mama Naik (Keonjhar), Nirmalya Rout (Bargarh) and Sandhyarani Tudu (Baripada, Mayurbhanj).For Marndi, the selection represents another chapter in a journey that began in rural Mayurbhanj, where her sporting ambitions were initially met with resistance at home.“The last Asian Games was a huge learning experience. At that time there were so many seniors around me that I could only focus on playing. Now there is more responsibility as I am one of the senior players,” said the vice-captain.The inclusion of the quartet is the latest testament to Odisha’s lasting influence on Indian rugby, with Sandhyarani Tudu among a long line of players to emerge from the state’s thriving local system. She got into the sport after being introduced to rugby by the coaches at her school, and believes that Odisha’s strong culture has been the foundation of her success.“Rugby is doing very well in Odisha. We are constantly winning medals and our team bonding is very strong. This has helped many players come through,” said Sandhyarani, a fly bowler known for her tackling, passing and awareness of the game.Former age-group captain Mama Naik has also emerged as one of India’s brightest prospects going forward, while Nirmalya Rout has added leadership credentials after captaining Odisha to the 2026 senior crown.But even as Odisha continues to produce national team stalwarts, the sport is also expanding into newer regions. For example, Bihar has two players in the squad.One of them is Arti Kumari, who continues to draw inspiration from her elder brother Rahul Kumar, who died in an accident in 2020.“My brother was my biggest supporter. He always encouraged me to follow my dreams,” said Arti, who hails from Nawada.Bihar teammate Guriya Kumari from Muzaffarpur overcame a very different challenge. The youngster battled an ACL injury that required two surgeries on the same leg.“There were times when I thought I would never be able to play again,” Guriya recalled.But she has put all that behind her and is focusing on the Asiad, where India will play their Pool B opener against Hong Kong on October 1 at the Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium. India’s remaining two matches will be against defending champions China and Malaysia.While head coach Paul Delport expects a tough test at the Asian Games, he takes confidence from India’s recent performance at the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series, where the team finished sixth after recording wins over the UAE and Iran. India also had a warm-up camp in Thailand where they played warm-up matches against the hosts and Sri Lanka.“The players have improved enormously, both physically and in terms of understanding the game. Considering how few tournaments we are able to play, the progress has been exceptional,” Delport said of the team that finished seventh in the last Asiad.However, the former South African international insisted that the focus must be on the process rather than the results. Rugby India president Rahul Bose also echoed the sentiment, arguing that progress in team sports often takes longer to show on the scoreboard.But with the 2032 Olympics in mind, Bose reiterated the need to create a more professional ecosystem for gamers.“We need to make rugby fully professional. You can’t just have camps and send players home. Centers of excellence and year-round programs are the way forward,” he said in Kolkata on Monday.While Bose hinted that some of those plans could begin to take shape in the coming months, the immediate focus remains the Asian Games, which the team leaves for on Friday.Lineup: Shikha Yadav (C), Dumuni Marndi (VC), Amandeep Kaur, Arti Kumari, Bhumika Shukla, Vaishnavi Patil, Guriya Kumari, Kalyani Patil, Mama Naik, Nirmalya Rout, Sandhya Rai, Sandhyarani Tudu, Ujjwala Ghuge.