The Indian women’s hockey team finds itself at a critical juncture. Ever since they missed out on qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics two years ago, things have been far from ideal.
First, head coach Janneke Schopman stepped down with a string of allegations against Hockey India administration. Harendra Singh, who was brought in to replace Schopmann, blooded in a few youngsters, but failed to have the desired impact.
Under Singh’s watch, India were relegated from the FIH Pro League to the FIH Nations League and finished second best at the Asia Cup. The latter meant that the team missed out on a direct qualification for the 2026 FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup.
Singh’s tenure, meanwhile, came to an abrupt end with players within the setup unhappy with his working style. He stepped down from the position, but reports suggested he was pushed out.
Sjoerd Marijne’s first assignment
Amidst the chaos, Hockey India fell back to a familiar face to pull the women in blue out of the slump. In came Sjoerd Marijne as the head coach – the same man who guided the Rani Rampal-led Indian team to a historic fourth place finish at the Tokyo Olympics five years ago. Schopman was his deputy then.
It’s been nearly two months since the 51-year-old Dutchman took charge and his first major challenge — the 2026 FIH Women’s World Cup Qualifiers — is all set to commence in Hyderabad on Sunday.
With just under two months to work his magic on the team, he has a tough task at hand. Veteran Indian forward Lalremsiami, who played the Tokyo Olympics under Marijne, feels his coaching philosophy hasn’t changed.
“He demands the highest of levels from his players. He sets the standards high and expects us to follow it,” said Lalremsiami to The Bridge ahead of the qualifiers.
Marijne’s tactical funda is simple but aggressive: “I know you can score one or two goals every match, but you need to score more.”
He wants the players to play high-intensity, one-touch hockey, with a team first approach. This aggressive mindset is being drilled down the minds of youngsters in the setup.
“Sjoerd wants us to play 1-2, 1-2, and doesn’t allow a player to carry the ball for long,” noted Sakshi Rana, who made her senior international debut last year.
Sunelita Toppo, an 18-year-old forward, who made her senior debut two years ago, agrees.
“The coach focuses on what the top teams are doing and wants us to replicate that so that we can match their level,” said Toppo.
“For example, we are focusing on one-touch hockey and improving our receiving positions so that we can attack quickly,” the teenager explained.
Marijne’s also emphasised on high press and the need to hold positions and structures without losing shape.
“There’s also a lot of work on structure since he has come in – high house structure, how to hold positions, what lines to close or open up,” said Toppo.
“It’s good that we are working step by step on both defensive and attacking structures. It is very important because hockey is very fast paced now, compared to yesteryears,” she added.
Salima Tete’s reflections
Skipper Salima Tete, who took over as the leader after the 2024 Paris Olympics debacle, is happy with how the team is shaping up under Marijne.
“I have played under Sjoerd before, and it is pretty much the same,” the captain said.
“His nature is good but at the same time, he doesn’t shy away from reprimanding those who are not pushing themselves.
“He treats everyone equally and has a good line of communication with everyone,” she added.
Though the team is in high spirits, Tete has no illusions about the task in hand. She knows the road ahead is tough and doesn’t want to dwell on the past two years.
“Whatever happened has happened and it’s obviously our fault and we accept it. But there has been a lot of learning,” she said.
“At the Asia Cup we didn’t win gold, but it happens. We tell ourselves koi baat nahi [it’s okay], but we knew what we wanted. We knew we could have won. China is a good team, but we have the quality to beat them.
“Our aim is to try and forget the past and do our best in what’s up next. I keep telling the players, if we are training this well, why can’t we produce the results? It’s a belief I have on the team that we’ll do it,” she added.
FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers Format
The 2026 FIH Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Hyderabad will feature a total of eight teams divided into two groups of four teams each.
The hosts are placed in Group B along with Scotland, Uruguay, and Wales. The top two teams from each groups will qualify for the semi-finals. The losing semi-finalists will then play a third-place play-off.
The top three teams in the tournament will qualify for the 2026 FIH Women’s World Cup, which will take place in Belgium and Netherlands from August 15-30.
India Squad for 2026 FIH Women’s World Cup Qualifiers
Goalkeepers: Bansari Solanki, Bichu Devi Kharibam
Defenders: Sushila Chanu, Nikki Pradhan, Manisha Chauhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary
Midfielders: Neha, Salima Tete, Sunelita Toppo, Sakshi Rana, Vaishnavi Phalke, Rutuja Pisal, Deepika Soreng
Forwards: Navneet Kaur, Ishika, Lalremsiami, Beauty Dungdung, Baljeet Kaur, Annu
India Schedule
8 March: India v/s Uruguay, 7:30 pm IST
9 March: India v/s Scotland, 7:30 pm IST
11 March: India v/s Wales, 7:30 pm IST
13 March: Semi-finals
14 March: Third-place match and Final
Where to Watch?
You can catch all the LIVE action from the 2026 FIH Women’s World Cup Qualifiers on JioHotstar.
