-Wins man of the match in the Semifinal
Shilanand Lakra, a distinguished alumnus of SAIL Hockey Academy of SAIL, Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) delivered a stellar performance performance in the Men’s Asia Cup Hockey Championship held at Rajgir in which India emerged champions. With the victory, India also qualified for the 2026 Men’s Hockey World Cup, which will be held in Belgium and the Netherlands. Besides, in the finals of the Men’s Asia Cup Hockey Championship India beat defending champions South Korea by 4-1 goals.
Shilanand was a key contributor to India’s journey, especially in the semifinal against China, where he powered the team to a commanding 7–0 win and was deservedly adjudged the Man of the Match.
Notably, Shilanand who plays in the forward line made debut in the Indian Hockey Squad in the 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Tournament in March 2018. The promising youngster known for his agile moves has so far earned 39 international caps. The prolific forward had a great record representing the India Junior team as well earning numerous laurels for the country.
It is worth mentioning here that, Shilanand, son of Mr. Carlus Lakra and Mrs. Mary Grace Lakra, residents of Kalijapathar village of Sundargarh district joined the SAIL Hockey Academy in August 2015 and was a cadet of the academy till 2019. During this period he learnt the nuances of Hockey from veterans like Raju Kant Saini a NIS (National institute of Sports) coach as well as Peter Tirkey, former National Junior India Hockey player, the two Hockey coaches of RSP.
