After a turbulent 2025 that saw two major controversies rock the team — with both the senior and junior coaches being shown the door owing to varied reasons — the Indian women’s hockey team are slowly getting back on track. Under Sjoerd Marijne, they qualified for the FIH Women’s World Cup in what was the Dutch coach’s first assignment in his second stint.
At the heart of the turnaround were reworked strategies, improved fitness and plenty of determination. At the GMC Balayogi Hockey Stadium in Hyderabad, the team gave a good account of themselves, playing with composure and intensity to seal their World Cup berth.
“Qualifying for the World Cup is a huge achievement since it happens once every four years,” Navneet Kaur, who scored a hat-trick against Wales in their 4-1 win to secure qualification, told mid-day. “We had missed out on qualification at the Asia Cup and were determined to not let this opportunity go.”
Navneet Kaur
One of the first things that Marijne focused on was implementing a more structured style of play. Players were assigned clearly defined roles, with a strong emphasis on supporting each other.
Navneet explained: “Once the core group of 29 was finalised, the coaches gave us a clear structure. 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.”
During the tournament, several players stepped up. In the absence of regular goalkeeper Savita Punia, Bansari Solanki, and Bichu Devi Kharibam took responsibility. Up front, Navneet led the forward line beautifully while Neha and Salima Tete controlled the midfield.
India coach Sjoerd Marijne
“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.
“Now that we have qualified for the World Cup, we want to do much better.”
In his previous stint, Marijne encouraged players to take ownership and grow as leaders, and it is no different this time.
From confidence-building exercises to cultivating a culture where players address each other by names rather than as ‘Didi’, a common term for elder sister in India, the team has evolved both on and off the field.
Marijne has been instrumental in helping the players break mental barriers and realise their potential.
“Having a coach who is familiar with many of us and understands the Indian culture is helpful,” says Navneet.
“Off the field, we try to keep the environment light and conducive so everyone can express themselves freely. We play football and have team-bonding activities so that the same reflects on the field.”
Now that the first hurdle has been crossed, the team must focus on the bigger challenges ahead.
One area that requires immediate attention is finishing. “My job is to demand more and more,” says Marijne. “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.”
For a side in rebuilding mode, World Cup qualification is a step in the right direction for ‘Bharat Ki Sherniyan’.
2
No. of clean sheets for India — 4–0 vs Uruguay and 1–0 vs Italy
4
No. of goals scored by Navneet Kaur, the most by an Indian, including a hat-trick against Wales
5
No. of goals conceded by India — the joint second-lowest alongside Scotland
11
No. of goals scored by India in the FIH Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, second only to England (14)
9
No. of FIH Women’s World Cups India will be appearing in
3
Consecutive Women’s World Cup qualifications for India (2018, 2022, and 2026)
9
India’s position in the 2022 Women’s World Cup, held in Spain and the Netherlands
