Indian women’s hockey team raises bar on all fronts

Chandigarh- Harendra Singh, the Indian women’s hockey team’s chief coach, has admitted that he didn’t watch women’s hockey until a few months back. He is not the only one as most of the hockey fans in India have very little knowledge of the women’s team. One reason is a lack of interest due to low expectations. The team made headlines after qualifying for the Rio Olympics, but the attention was brief. The other reason is that very few matches of the women’s team are shown on television. So, when the team left for Japan for the Asia Cup, not many paid attention. But when India beat China, the highest ranked team at the event, 4-1 in their second pool match, it raised curiosity. “Must have been a fluke” was the first reaction. But the team’s continued dominance in the tournament, winning all their matches, and the subsequent title triumph has made everyone take notice, and try to figure out the team’s sudden transformation.

Weakened opponents

There are some points that could help put the victory in perspective. The three highest ranked teams at the Asia Cup — world No. 8 China, No. 9 South Korea and No. 11 Japan — had already qualified for next year’s World Cup. So, they could have been trying out new players and strategies, preparing for the important year to follow. At the Hockey World League Semifinals in Brussels, the Chinese coach said that several stronger players were recovering from injuries.