Asian Games: Ritu Rani believes in her golden destiny

Ritu Rani has a dream - that she'll put the poverty of her family behind her; that the team she captains, the Indian women's hockey team, will succeed in reaching and winning a medal at the 2016 Rio di Janeiro Olympics.

A gold medal in Incheon will guarantee the women an appearance in Brazil, though it's easier said than done as strong countries like South Korea and China are also in fray.

At the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Games Village on Thursday, Ritu was initially pensive as the athletes waited to enter the huge ground. After the formalities were over, the star player from Shahbad couldn't stop talking about how the hard work put in by the team was on the verge of paying off.

"Hamaara din aane waala hai [our day is about to come]," she said.

Life has not been easy for Ritu. Unlike the pampered Indian cricketers, she has had to slog on and off the field. Ritu isn't afraid to state that she comes from a poor family and that her father is a cart-puller. "I can never forget my background. I am the bread winner and I support the family as well with a salary of `11,000," said Ritu, who works in the Indian Railways as a clerk in Shahbad.

In order to earn a better living, the India captain says she is not averse to moving out of Shahbad. "But it has to be a government job," is her only condition.