Last Updated:
India’s women’s hockey team, ranked sixth, will face Australia, Argentina, Belgium, and China in the Pro League. Coach Harendra Singh is focusing on goalkeeping and drag flicking.
Coach Harendra Singh is working on ‘every department’ of the squad. (FIH)
Having worked diligently to iron out the imperfections in their game, India are all set to make a strong impression in the European leg of the Women’s Hockey Pro League, starting with their game against biggies Australia on Saturday, June 14.
Currently holding the sixth spot with nine points, India will take on Australia on June 14 and 15, followed by consecutive matches against Argentina on June 17 and 18.
Subsequently, the team will head to Antwerp on June 19 for two games against Belgium, slated for June 21 and 22, before concluding the European leg with encounters against China on June 28 and 29 in Berlin.
“We have worked in every department. But the two departments I am focusing on because it is result-oriented are goalkeeping and drag flicking,” chief coach Harendra Singh shared with reporters on the eve of the game.
Singh also disclosed that drag flickers Deepika and Manisha had undergone a specialised 10-day camp with the renowned Dutch drag-flick expert Toon Siepman ahead of the tour.
“For drag flicking, Deepika and Manisha trained under Toon Siepman, who has years of experience coaching some of the world’s top players,” Singh said.
“We also worked on improving our injectors and stoppers. Earlier, five girls were rotating in those roles, but now we’ve narrowed it down to three.”
India aims to build on the momentum gained during the Indian leg of the Pro League in February, where they held world No. 1 Netherlands to a 2-2 draw in Bhubaneswar and earned a bonus point via shootout.
The team experimented with new combinations during a five-match friendly tour in Perth against Australia A and the Hockeyroos last month. While the results were mixed, Singh stated that the tour provided valuable learning for Salima Tete’s side.
“Australia played full press and we learnt how to stretch them with counter-control. We also learnt that we should play stick-to-stick hockey.”
“The second learning was to be more resilient on the pitch, especially 1v1. I took a squad of 24 to give more players experience, but in this Pro League, we need to be more alert, scan with peripheral vision and play fast hockey.
“I’m confident that the team will get a good result in the four (Pro League) matches.”
The coach has chosen a balanced squad that combines experience with young talent.
Singh wants the team to peak during September’s Asia Championship, as winning the continental championship would mean automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup.
“I would say the team is 70 per cent fit because we want to peak at the right time, which is during the Asian Championship later this year.”
With Belgium and the Netherlands already qualifying as co-hosts of the World Cup and Germany winning the Pro League last year, a strong showing in the tournament could also secure a World Cup berth for India.
“Two teams have automatically qualified as hosts. Germany won the last Pro League and has also qualified. So we have to manage to finish above England and Spain.
“So if we finish fifth, and presuming, for example, Australia qualifies from Oceania, Argentina qualifies (from South America), and one of us or China qualifies from the Asia Cup, then there is an opportunity for us to qualify in this Pro League itself,” Singh explained.
England is currently languishing at the bottom of the points table with five points, while Spain stands fifth with 14 points from 12 outings.
(with PTI inputs)
- Location :
London, United Kingdom (UK)
- First Published:
