Indian women’s hockey team pose for a picture on their arrival at Gaya International Airport for Bihar Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024, on Monday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
When the Indian women take on Malaysia in their opening game of the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in Rajgir on Monday (November 11, 2024), it will be the first step for a ‘restructured’ team in moving on from the disappointment of missing the Paris Olympics and focussing on LA 2028 instead.
With a few surprise omissions, a new and young captain and a coach who perhaps understands the Indian mindset better than anyone else, the Indian women’s team will be hoping to reset itself and start afresh. Being defending champion comes with its own set of pressure but on paper, India appears to be favourite to retain the title.
The biggest miss for the host would be veteran Vandana Katariya, the only Indian woman with more than 300 international caps. The last time she was out of the team, India failed to make the cut at the Olympic qualifiers. Her absence played a big role not just on scoring but also brought down the experience level several notches.
With Monika and Nikki Pradhan also not in the side, the core of the Indian team has been overhauled, not the least the emphasis on drag-flick. “With the work we have done in the last 4-5 months, I am confident that Deepika and Manisha Chauhan will deliver (as drag-flickers) when the team requires,” coach Harendra Singh insisted.
India still remains among the more experienced sides in the fray. China, who came as Asian Games champion last time, won a historic maiden silver at Paris but have come with a largely young side with four debutants. Japan, who pipped India for the other Olympic spot at the qualifiers, will be landing with a team that, officially, will have temporary staff and only four players with any senior level match experience. Korea and Malaysia, on the other hand, will have experienced line-ups as they struggle to regain their position in the continent. With Thailand completing the line-up India, amidst all this, will fancy its chances.
“For us, this is a big platform to excel as a team and showcase our skills. What happened was in the past and there were many reasons for it and they were not technical but tactical. What is important is how you cope with the past results, which was one of the reasons we had a camp with the Naval Academy. One big thing for me is that players have to be vocal and ask questions because questioning is the key to learning and I am getting closer to achieving that,” he added.
It will also be a homecoming of sorts for Harendra in his first outing since taking charge. With no player from the state ever making the national team, Harendra is hopeful of the competition being a turning point for hockey in Bihar.
(Matches will be telecast on Sony Sports and DD Sports)
Published – November 10, 2024 03:41 pm IST
