The captaincy of the Indian women’s kabaddi team has changed hands, with Pushpa Rana taking over from long-time skipper Ritu Negi. Pushpa will lead India at the Asian Games in Japan next month. Incidentally, both players hail from the remote Shillai region of Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh. For Pushpa, it is a major personal achievement. But for Shillai, producing two national skippers in succession is an even bigger sporting feat.Succeeding Ritu as captain is quite special for Pushpa. “We were at school when Ritu and Priyanka started playing for India. Our physical training instructor would cite their example to inspire us to work harder. We grew up listening to their stories. So, it feels really good to succeed Ritu as India’s captain,” said Pushpa.Even though Ritu is no longer the skipper of the side, she will continue to be a key player. It will be her third straight appearance at the Asian Games, a significant achievement. “Ritu made her India debut as the skipper of the junior national team in 2011. Ever since, she has brought several laurels for the country. Now, she wants to be more of a mentor in the team,” said her father, Bhawan Singh Negi.Ritu and Pushpa aren’t the only international kabaddi players to have emerged from Shillai. Sakshi Sharma and Sushma Chauhan are among the other current internationals from the region, making Shillai a stronghold of women’s kabaddi. What makes their achievements remarkable is that Shillai had little infrastructure to promote the sport when these players were growing up. After showing promise at school, all of them had to move to sports hostels in other districts at a young age to pursue the sport seriously.Pushpa attributes the kabaddi culture in the region to its tough terrain and physically demanding way of life. “Life is tough, very physical in the region. We have to work at home as well as in the field. All this makes the girls strong and fit, and they just need to work on other skills,” said Pushpa.The success of these girls, which includes a gold medal at the last Asian Games and the World Cup triumph last year, has helped develop a strong kabaddi culture in the region. Further, their performances at the national and international levels have prompted the government to open a sports hostel in the region, where the girls will train in kabaddi.“Ritu and Pushpa had to leave for sports hostels at a young age. It’s not easy for parents to send their daughters away in their early teens. Thankfully, a sports hostel has been opened here recently and the girls will not need to move out at a young age,” said Jaipal Rana, Pushpa’s father.While Pushpa and others have brought laurels to the state and the country, Raj Kumar Bharanta, president of the Himachal Pradesh Kabaddi Association, feels they have not been rewarded suitably by the state.“Pushpa and Sakshi do not have jobs despite stellar performances at top international events. Other states are offering jobs to our girls. Our state must look into it to reward these high achievers,” he said.