The Tribune: Stronger, faster, tougher

Indian women’s hockey team raises bar on all fronts

Indervir Grewal

Harendra Singh, the Indian women’s hockey team’s chief coach, has admitted that he didn’t watch women’s hockey until a few months back. He is not the only one as most of the hockey fans in India have very little knowledge of the women’s team. One reason is a lack of interest due to low expectations. The team made headlines after qualifying for the Rio Olympics, but the attention was brief. The other reason is that very few matches of the women’s team are shown on television.

So, when the team left for Japan for the Asia Cup, not many paid attention. But when India beat China, the highest ranked team at the event, 4-1 in their second pool match, it raised curiosity. “Must have been a fluke” was the first reaction. But the team’s continued dominance in the tournament, winning all their matches, and the subsequent title triumph has made everyone take notice, and try to figure out the team’s sudden transformation.

Weakened opponents

There are some points that could help put the victory in perspective. The three highest ranked teams at the Asia Cup — world No. 8 China, No. 9 South Korea and No. 11 Japan — had already qualified for next year’s World Cup. So, they could have been trying out new players and strategies, preparing for the important year to follow. At the Hockey World League Semifinals in Brussels, the Chinese coach said that several stronger players were recovering from injuries.

Japan has not had a good record this year, marked by their slip in the latest rankings to No. 12. They finished sixth at the HWL Semifinals in Johannesburg after losing to lower-ranked South Africa. For this event, the Japanese team included only two players who had figured at last year’s Olympics, and the team’s average age was only 22.5 years.

Due credit

However, all this cannot take away the credit from the Indian team, which, for so long, has been used to finishing a fighting second against its higher-ranked Asian rivals. China had finished second in Brussels, while Japan beat India 2-0 in Johannesburg. At the Asia Cup, India beat China twice and Japan once, 4-2 in the semifinals; they scored 28 goals. India, deservedly, rose two places to world No. 10, their highest ranking in seven years.

What has been the reason for this transformation into winners? “We worked very hard,” was Gurjit Kaur’s reply. But then she talked about the mentality of the team, how the players went into the tournament with a sense of vengeance. “We played with intensity. We were determined to not lose against these teams again,” said the top-scorer for India.

Bonding

Harendra, who was with the team for just about a month before the tournament, said that he “just focussed on team bonding and worked on developing their confidence”. He has said that he wanted the players to think of themselves as winners. Gurjit said that the team has “become mentally stronger and more positive”.

Not taking the credit away from Harendra, but the shift to “think positive” attitude goes back before Harendra. Sjoerd Marijne, now the men’s team coach, will be feeling extra proud about the victory. It was the Dutchman who had first talked about changing the mentality of the women’s team.

Confidence man

In May, a month after becoming the women’s coach, Marijne had told The Tribune that he was “focussing on what they were good at”. “It will help lift their confidence. The girls must believe in themselves, that’s where it all starts. You are what you think you are. If you think as the No. 12 in the world, you will always stay there; but if you start thinking like the No. 1 team, you will be more critical about everything and you will lift the bar. That will lead to better achievements,” he had said.

However, thinking like a top team and playing like one are two different things. Gurjit said that the team has improved exponentially over the year. “Physically, we are fitter, stronger. We play at a faster speed, with a lot of one-touch passes,” she said. The one-touch style reminds one of the men’s game at last month’s Asia Cup, Marijne’s first assignment after switching to the men’s team.

In fact, Marijne had said in May: “We want to make progress in the physical part, become stronger in the game. I want to increase the speed at which the team plays. I want the players to apply more pressure on the ball carrier all over the pitch and create more opportunities when we win the ball.”

Now that the women have conquered Asia, after 13 years, they will be eager to prove themselves at the world level. The next year, with the World Cup, Commonwealth and Asian Games, will be a busy one for them. These events will be the true test of the team’s improved physicality and recently-found mental fortitude.