THE remarkable comeback staged by the Indian women’s hockey team by drawing equal with host Argentina 2-2 has led skipper Navneet Kaur to say with a legitimate sense of pride that the team is “moving in the right direction”. Those who follow women’s hockey would certify that Navneet Kaur is right also when she says that equalling a world class team like Argentina after trailing 0-2 was certainly not an easy task, but the team showed the necessary toughness and character -- demonstrating its worth. No matter the statistics, the overall performance of the Indian visitors can be described as good. Right in the first match, the Indian women began smartly to score two goals in the first 30 minutes. However, the hosts rallied back to score 4 goals and win the match. In the second match, the hosts could secure a narrow 2-1 win on the Indian team.

 

Then they waited for the third chance to win the match and series. However, the Indian women did not allow them that opportunity and won the third and the fourth match in a row to draw equal. That was certainly a remarkable feat deserving full appreciation of the team’s determined come back on a foreign tour. In the past some years, Indian women’s national hockey team has seen some very encouraging highs and very disappointing lows. Despite those, the overall impression is that Indian women have the necessary grit and determination to get classed as a good team, some of their defeats notwithstanding. It boasts of some of the world’s highly skilled players such as Captain-Midfielder Salima Tete, stand-in Captain and forward Navneet Kaur, midfielders Neha, Vaishnavi, Sunelita, Baljeet, forwards Sangita, Mumtaz, Rutaja and some others like defenders Udita, Nikki Pradhan, Ishika Chaudhary, Manisha Chauhan. Goal-keepers Savita Punia, Bichu Devi, Bansari Solanki also are recognised as skilled practitioners of the game. Captain Salima Tete is often described as the “beating heart” of the team and a strategic on-field leader. The performances like these are always watched carefully by other teams. Many of the current players also participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

 

The tour of Argentina has given the team enough reason to believe that it can rise to the top of the field. In the past some years, masterminds of the women’s team have focused not just on playing skills but also on high levels of physical fitness. Though of rather small statures by world average, the Indian women have often showed mental and physical toughness winning hearts. The team is working under the head coach Sjored Marijne (of Holland) who had guided the team to a historic fourth-place finish at the 2020 Tokyo Olympiad. The sights are now fixated on forthcoming the World Cup and Asian Games. The coach is reported to have asserted that he has no doubt about the competitive spirit of the players and that their preparations are good enough to attract world attention. The competition, of course, is tough and the Indian women will have to make a lot of focused effort in the time at hand. Yet, the Argentina tour has given them a legitimate confidence that they can do well.