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In a tricky tournament, India eye an Olympic berth
Ahead of Tokyo, India needed a Rani strike to secure a spot. This time, they will hope for far less drama
Janneke Schopman, head coach of the Indian women's hockey team, believes the past does not matter. This is a good time, though, to revisit the past.
You'd perhaps still remember images, heartbreaking and heartwarming alike, of the women's team losing a hard-fought bronze medal play-off at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and finishing a punching-above-the-weight fourth. But you'd probably not remember how they got to only their second Olympic appearance in over three decades.
It would all come down to a two-match shootout between India and USA for one of the qualification spots for Tokyo. India cruised to a 5-1 win in the first match but crashed to a 4-0 deficit by half-time in the second the following day in Bhubaneswar. It needed a Rani Rampal strike to salvage the aggregate (6-5) and secure the Tokyo berth for the relieved Indians.
Schopman, coach of that USA side who has since switched dugouts, will hope there is far lesser drama in store this time for the Indian team that kicks off its FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi against the same team on Saturday.
With 2024 Paris Olympics spots on offer for the three top teams from this eight-team tournament divided into two groups, India must finish among the best two in their group (also involving New Zealand and Italy) and then kick on to grab the three spots for the semi-finalists.
It’s a tricky tournament, one that the women’s team would not have hoped to be a part of leading up to the Asian Games last year. But a third-place finish in Hangzhou — the men’s team won gold to seal direct qualification to Paris — meant the Savita Punia-led team has been forced to take this detour. It’s like missing a crucial turn and having to take a longer and more challenging route to reach the destination.
Schopman, however, doesn’t wish to look into the rear-view mirror.
“It doesn't work to live in the past. The players know we've learnt from the Asian Games. We know that we missed an opportunity, and from that moment on we knew that we have to be ready for this tournament," the former Dutch player said. “We need to be better. And if we play to the best of our abilities here, we have a good opportunity to qualify (for the Olympics).”
The bronze medal at the Asian Games (beating Japan 2-1) was little consolation to the 4-0 defeat to eventual champions China in the semi-finals. With their "eyes on this tournament from then on", Schopman and her troops soon swung back to action. India rebounded by winning the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT), also held in Ranchi, less than a month later getting past China (2-1) in the group stage and Japan in the final (4-0). A 5-Nations tournament in Valencia in December offered mixed results — India lost to Spain (2-3), Belgium (1-2), Germany (1-3) and beat Ireland (2-1) — but precious game time against stiffer opponents.
That this Indian team already has a feel for Ranchi's Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium and its usually packed stands, through the ACT outing in October, could help.
“Even when we were playing that tournament, we were talking about these qualifiers — that this is a big advantage for us to play here once, with the crowd, the pressure etc,” Savita, the captain and goalkeeper, said. “But the tournament name changes now, and when there's the Olympics attached to it, there can be nothing bigger for any athlete.”
Of late for the women’s team, in tournaments where the stakes have surged, the quality of outcomes have dipped. After the Tokyo delight, India were joint-ninth in the 2022 Women's World Cup and returned with a third-place finish at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and last year's Asian Games, the latter carrying greater context and reward. The heat from the pressure cooker has often intensified when Indian hockey teams have played a major competition at home. And although Schopman reckons the Ranchi crowd can work to their advantage, pressure will remain a factor.
“There is pressure, no doubt. It's normal," the experienced Savita said. “But we are working a lot towards playing better under that pressure. It will be challenging. It won't be easy.”
More so with senior player Vadana Katariya missing due to injury. The onus will be on the younger forwards, the likes of Sangita Kumari and Deepika, to step up. The latter will also have to do the heavy lifting in penalty corner conversion, an area the team has struggled with.
In terms of ranking, India are the second-best team in this tournament (a spot behind Germany). But Schopman knows every single team there, no matter the ranking, will be desperate for just one thing: “qualify for Paris”.
“They will be ready. And we will have to match their intensity,” she added.
