NEW DELHI, June 14 -- Suman Devi Thoudam's eyes teared up as the Indian women's hockey team's flight to Amsterdam took off from Bengaluru last week. The 25-year-old was recalling the difficult period when her father, a carpenter, had to borrow money to buy an air ticket to send Suman from Imphal to Bengaluru for the national camp nine years ago. Having made her India debut in March 2017, the defender was a regular in the Indian team, playing multiple Test series as well as the 2018 Asian Champions Trophy - India returned with silver - before she was dropped from the team. Suman managed to stay in the core group, and thereby the national camp but it took her four years to get picked again in the Indian team but then too she played only one game - against the Netherlands - in the FIH Pro League in April 2022 before she was altogether dropped not just from the team but from the camp too. Back then, the fullback felt that her efforts had all gone down the drain. "To say that I was upset would be an understatement. I had no choice but to go back to the domestic level, practice, learn the basics again from my coaches, discuss my weaknesses and work on them. The comeback was always on my mind," Suman told HT. Suman was determined to improve, earn her spot back in the team, and not let her family's sacrifices go in vain. She went to Sports Authority of India's (SAI) National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) here, and worked with her former coaches to enhance defensive skills, tackling, and player marking abilities. After grinding it out at the domestic circuit for two years, Suman was finally noticed by India chief coach Harendra Singh at the Inter-Departmental National Championships in the national capital in October 2024. Representing Indian Oil, Suman played a big role in taking her team to the final before losing to Railways. "Suman has the same resilience as (Manipuri statemate, fellow defender and senior) Sushila (Chanu Pukhrambam). Both of them can put their body on the line to save a goal. Also, Suman has also improved her one-on-one tackling, her flick pass, and positioning of the body," Harendra told HT. Impressed with her show, Harendra first selected Suman for the 65-member national camp in March. A solid show there made the chief coach pick her for the 40-member core group in April before eventually selecting her for India's friendly tour of Australia in April-May. Suman was thrilled earlier this month when she got to know she has been selected for the Indian team for the European leg of the Pro League from June 14 to 29, marking her comeback to the team after three long years. "She's a good player and a solid defender. The only thing she needs is some confidence. That's why I selected her. When I saw her in the last Nationals and then the Inter-Departmental Nationals in New Delhi, I told her because of the way she performed, she deserved another chance," said Harendra....