S2H Team

The India women’s team will land in New Delhi on February 3 from their Argentina tour, their first exposure tour since New Zealand in February 2020.

Before embarking on the long haul back home, chief coach Sjoerd Marijne of the Netherlands reflected on the tour during which the team played eight matches, drawing three and losing four with one match being washed out.

India drew 2-2 and 1-1 against the Argentine junior side, lost 1-2, 2-3 against the B team and had scorelines of 2-3, 0-2 and 1-1 in encounters against the Las Leonas, the formidable senior side. Torrential rain washed out the third match.

Marijne was quoted as saying: “All three matches against the senior Argentine women, it was very closely contested, and the matches could have gone either way. Even the match where we lost 0-2, they (Argentina) were very effective, but our quality of play was very high in that game. Overall, this tour has helped us gain that confidence of playing against a top side like Argentina. We had the chance to experience what it takes to beat a team like Argentina and the areas we need to focus on to succeed against a quality side. This is a positive step in our preparations for the Olympic Games.”

The Dutchman added: “One of the key aspects of the tour was to provide ample exposure to some of the young players in the core group who are yet to gain experience at the international level. This tour was also about giving players who don’t have much international experience the chance to show their level. This is a long-term process, and it is important for the future of the team.”

Captain Rani Rampal, the iconic forward, spoke about how team expectations have experienced a sea change evidenced on tour.

 “In 2017 when we played against Argentina at the World League Semi Final, we stood no chance of coming close to them. We couldn’t go into their circle; we couldn’t create opportunities or PCs. I remember, before going into matches against top teams like Argentina, we would tell each other that we should just try and keep the score low but now we go into these matches wanting to win. There’s a big difference now and with a little more change to our game, we can definitely beat top teams. The whole experience of the tour was fantastic, and we know the level we are at despite a year-long break in competitions due to covid-19.”

The core group will take a two-week break on their return to the country, according to a communique from Hockey India. It will then regroup at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Bengaluru campus for the National camp.

Marijne believes the Argentina tour has been the benchmark to improve during the build up to the Olympic Games.

“We are very grateful to Hockey India and SAI for organizing this tour under such circumstances. Once we return to Bengaluru, we will evaluate these matches again and use this as a benchmark to make further progress in our performance. This tour has surely helped a lot,” he added.