BHUBANESWAR: A year ago, the Indian women’s hockey side wasn’t in a very good place. They had just failed to qualify for the Olympics, three years after agonisingly missing out on an Olympic medal. Their coach, Janneke Schopman, in a very revealing mixed zone interaction to two scribes, had poured her heart over the challenges of working in India. Rani Rampal, one of the finest players this country has seen, was left out in the wilderness. Savita Punia, a goalkeeper of some repute, was thinking about retirement. Suffice to say the team needed a pick me up.
A year after Schopman’s resignation, team have taken several toddler steps towards addressing their long-term goal of qualifying for the 2028 Olympics. Harendra Singh, who had earlier coached the side in 2018, came back. Savita was encouraged to stay back. A women’s Hockey India League, a first-of-its-kind league in the country, was created. A new captain (Salima Tete) was appointed.
The side went on a week-long, first ever training-um-bonding camo at the Indian Naval Academy at Kannur last July. “This transformative camp,” a Hockey India press release had noted at the time, “conducted in the disciplined environment of the INA, aimed to enhance the team’s skills and foster a spirit of unity and resilience. One of the focuses of the camp was to instil in players a sense of mental toughness, discipline and leadership.
Months into Singh’s new job, there was the buy-in all coaches crave for when they walk into a new gig. A shiny title as they beat China at home to win the women’s Asian Champions Trophy in November.
In terms of roster changes, there hasn’t been churn. The players who featured at the Pro League one year ago are, by and large, part of Harendra’s plans. There’s a new energy in the contingent as they work towards the goal of qualifying for next year’s World Cup as well as the Olympics in 2028. The drag-flickers have also had the chance to work with bio-mechanics experts… you get the drift, they are putting in place the foundations ahead of a big 2026.
