What does it take to keep running when both your knees have told you to stop? For Nandini, the answer has never been complicated. She runs because rugby isn’t just a sport she plays; it’s part of who she has become.
Nandini developed an interest in rugby in her school days back in 2016, and soon she was representing India at three international tournaments. Today, she is recovering from her second ACL surgery. Yet, when she talks about returning to the field, there is no question mark in her voice. “I will come back soon, and I will play again.”
It is this belief that has carried Nandini through some of the hardest phases of her sporting journey.
From school ground to the international stage
Nandini began playing rugby in 2016, starting with the basics at school. At a time when rugby was still unfamiliar to many young athletes in India, she found herself drawn to the speed and physicality of the game.
She joined Delhi Rugby Rebels Club and received training under coaches Subhash Solanki and Chetan Ustad. Playing as a back, Nandini gradually developed her skills and began competing at higher levels.
Her first major breakthrough came in 2021, when she represented India in the Under-18 category at an international tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She earned a silver medal. For Nandini, representing the country for the first time is a milestone in itself. It was the beginning of her journey that would take her to the international stage two more times.
2022 proved another encouraging year for her as she represented India in the senior category at a tournament in Jakarta, Indonesia. Once again, the Indian team finished second. Later that year, she returned to the international circuit, this time representing India in the Under-20 category in Uzbekistan. She won another silver medal.
Three international appearances. Three different categories. Three silver medals.
When the game becomes a test of strength
A major turning point came in her life in 2023 when, during the National Games in Goa, she suffered a serious injury to her left knee – an ACL injury with a meniscus tear. Surgery followed, and the months after it were not easy. Nandini’s performance dropped after the injury as rugby is a physically demanding game. The player who had once been focused on competing now had to focus on rebuilding herself.
But she never learnt to walk away. She worked her way back to training, regained her fitness and eventually earned another opportunity to be part of the India camp in 2025. That comeback showed her that a setback did not have to define the rest of her career.
Another surgery, another setback
While competing at the 2025 Khelo India University Games, Nandini suffered an injury to her right knee. Once again, it was an ACL injury, this time with a medial meniscus injury. For an athlete who had already spent months recovering from her previous injury, starting the process all over again could have been devastating.
But Nandini had already learnt something from her first recovery: coming back is not one big moment. It is a series of small decisions made every day. Today, she is recovering from the second surgery and working towards getting back to the sport she loves.
A warrior never quits!
Behind Nandini’s journey is another story that deserves to be told—her mother’s. Nandini speaks about the ups and downs in her life with honesty, but when she talks about her mother, her words carry a different emotion.
There were difficult days. There were moments when giving up could have seemed easier. But her mother never gave up on her.
Nandini’s career is still being written, and she will come back stronger than ever. As she puts it, “I am still in recovery, but I will make a comeback soon, and I will play again.”
TAKEAWAYS:
- A setback is not the end of the journey.
- The dream matters more than the setback.
- Comebacks are built quietly.
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- Anita Rathi: The Woman Who Proved It’s Never Too Late to Begin
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