Having failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, relegated from the FIH Pro League, and bogged down by internal tensions and rifts over the last couple of years, the Indian women’s hockey team arrived at the World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium with more questions than answers. New Delhi: It was a team that had seemingly lost its way.
They secured a gritty 2-2 draw against China, the Paris Olympics silver medallists and indisputably the best team in Asia today. They hammered South Africa 6-1, their biggest win in World Cup history. In Round 2 they fought hard but lost 0-2 to hosts and the world’s best team Netherlands before playing out a 0-0 thriller against Australia, two-time world champions and bronze medallists from four years ago. The LA 2028 ticket is now the ultimate prize. The 2-2 draw has brought a renewed belief that India can not only compete with but conquer their neighbours at the Asian Games.
“We could have actually won the match against Australia but unfortunately could not convert our chances. They should have won last night’s game.
“To perform against teams that were much higher ranked was nothing less than commendable,” former India captain Mamta Kharab told HT. “Last night’s game, they were missing a game breaker, which is something they have had for the last 14 years; they had someone who could break the game apart,” Hawgood, who helped India qualify for the Olympics after 36 years at Rio 2016, told HT. “Where are Rani (Rampal), Jaspreet (Kaur), Vandana (Katariya), who score goals? Having finished above the Alyson Annan-coached Chinese side at the World Cup, the dynamics in Asian hockey have noticeably spiced up.
Returning to the setup in January, after previously guiding the team to a historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, chief coach Sjoerd Marijne engineered a stunning turnaround. Within months, he helped the squad qualify for the World Cup and secured the Nations Cup title that earned them a ticket back to the elite Pro League. At the World Cup itself, the team showcased a newfound resilience, finishing the tournament with one win, one loss, and three draws in five matches. Those three draws were not against pushovers, but against true hockey pedigree.
