When the Indian women’s hockey team had an outstanding performance and placed fourth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, it was viewed as a significant advancement. It was then viewed as evidence of their capacity to compete against the best when they finished third in the preceding FIH Pro League season.
This meant that they had a lot of hope going into the World Cup in July. Though it was anticipated that they would fight hard for a place in the semifinals, their disappointing ninth-place result marked the end of their trip.
The hockey squad led by Janneke Schopman then competed in the Commonwealth Games and succeeded in exceeding expectations by capturing the bronze medal.
There were some concerns about India’s overall progress as a result of the highs and lows it has experienced over the past year or so. Do they actually have what it takes to compete for a medal in big events? How soon will we be able to declare them the favorites?
The team’s performance in the just-finished FIH Women’s Nations Cup demonstrated that they are in the center of the pack. In order to go up a level or two, they will need to improve. However, they do have the players to compete and surprise higher-ranked teams occasionally.
Hockey: FIH Nations Cup champions that won
Because of COVID-19 constraints, Australia and New Zealand did not participate in the Pro League the previous time India participated in it. This time around, it was different. In a tense final, Savita Punia and company earned a spot in the Pro League for the following season by defeating Spain 1-0.
Spain attacked India aggressively, particularly in the second half, but India withstood the pressure, thwarted opportunities, blocked shots, and produced pivotal moments.
A similar style of performance was shown in the hockey semifinal matchup with Ireland. In the semifinals, where India trailed for the whole of the game, the offensive unit worked really hard to score an equalizer before the defense came up huge in the final. In the third quarter, the goal eventually came, and Savita finished the job in the penalty shootout.
India had similar severe pressure in the last period of their group stage encounter against Japan, who took third place in the competition, but still managed to win 2-1.
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