India women's hockey team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne is banking on a mix of overseas tours, competitive exposure and national camps to ready the side for the World Cup and Asian games this year.
The World Cup is scheduled to be held in Belgium and Netherlands in August, while the Asian Games will take place in Japan in September.
The Indian women's team will compete in the FIH Hockey Nations Cup in Auckland from June 15 to 21. They are also scheduled to tour the United States and Argentina, and play matches against Germany and the Netherlands.
“We have a tour to USA and Argentina, the Nations Cup in New Zealand and practice matches in Germany. We will also play some matches in the Netherlands,” Marijne said in a press release.
“These scheduled games combined with our camps set us up for a very good mix of matches and training to be ready for the World Cup and Asian Games,” he said. India have been placed in Pool D alongside England, China and South Africa.
China are the top-ranked side in the group at world No. 4, followed by England at No. 6, while India and South Africa are ranked ninth and 19th, respectively.
“This is a very competitive and balanced pool. There are teams like England and China that bring different styles and a lot of experience, while South Africa is always unpredictable and dangerous on their day,” Marijne said.
“However, for us, it's not about the draw - It's about how we show up. At a World Cup, every match demands your best. We respect all opponents, but our focus is on playing our style of hockey with consistency and courage,” he added.
India finished runners-up in the recently concluded FIH World Cup qualifiers, going down to England in the final.
Despite falling short, there were positives, with India emerging as the second-highest scorers in the tournament with 11 goals, including six from penalty corners.
Having guided India to a historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Marijne returned as head coach in January this year. “We are building something long-term. We want to build a team that is resilient, adaptable, and fearless. Qualifying was the step, but we are aiming for much more. The first steps have been made in the right direction, but there is much more to go if we want to be successful,” he said.
Also read: Indian eves to feature in FIH Hockey Nation Cup in June
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