Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Mar 16: After a turbulent 2025 marked by controversies and coaching changes, the India women's national field hockey team have begun their comeback journey by securing qualification for the upcoming FIH Women's Hockey World Cup under the guidance of coach Sjoerd Marijne.
In Marijne’s first assignment during his second stint with the team, India delivered a composed performance at the GMC Balayogi Hockey Stadium in Hyderabad to confirm their place in the global tournament.
Forward Navneet Kaur played a key role in the qualification, scoring a hat-trick in India’s 4-1 win against Wales women's national field hockey team.
“Qualifying for the World Cup is a huge achievement since it happens once every four years,” Navneet said. “We had missed out on qualification at the Women's Hockey Asia Cup and were determined not to let this opportunity go.”
One of Marijne’s first steps was to introduce a structured style of play. Once the core group of 29 players was finalised, the coaching staff assigned clearly defined roles and emphasised teamwork and support among players.
Navneet said the approach helped build unity and discipline within the squad. “The message was clear — play as a team and become each other’s strength. Even though we did not win the final, one could see the unity, combination and structure.”
Several players stepped up during the qualifiers. In the absence of regular goalkeeper Savita Punia, the responsibility was shared by Bansari Solanki and Bichu Devi Kharibam.
In attack, Navneet led the forward line, while Neha Goyal and Salima Tete controlled the midfield.
“The team always has high expectations from me whenever I get the ball,” Navneet said. “Any goal is the result of team effort. I am happy with my performance, including the hat-trick. It’s all teamwork and I think that’s the secret behind our success.”
Marijne, who had previously coached the Indian women’s team, has also focused on improving the team’s mental strength and leadership qualities. Players are encouraged to take responsibility and communicate more openly with each other.
From confidence-building exercises to creating a relaxed off-field environment with team-bonding activities, the coach has tried to foster a culture that allows players to express themselves freely.
“Having a coach who is familiar with many of us and understands the Indian culture is helpful,” Navneet said.
Despite the qualification success, Marijne emphasised that the team still needs to improve its finishing ability.
“My job is to demand more and more. We want the benchmark to keep getting higher. If you look at the attacks we created and the pace at which we played, that’s the way we want to play. But yes, we have to score goals,” he said.
For a side currently in rebuilding mode, securing a place in the World Cup marks a significant step forward for the team popularly known as ‘Bharat Ki Sherniyan’.
India scored 11 goals during the qualifiers — the second-highest after England women's national field hockey team (14) — and conceded only five goals, the joint second-lowest alongside Scotland women's national field hockey team.
The upcoming edition will mark India’s ninth appearance at the Women’s Hockey World Cup and their third consecutive qualification after the tournaments in 2018 and 2022. In the 2022 edition held in Spain and the Netherlands, India finished ninth.