A new coach, a new captain and a new-look team.
Under head coach Harendra Singh, the Indian women's hockey team will kickstart a new Olympics cycle with Salima Tete at the helm at the Women's Asian Champions Trophy in Rajgir, Bihar.
A team largely made of young talent, India will push hard to defend their title in Bihar. But the larger goal for most players will be to become part of India's core as the team rebuilds towards the 2028 Olympics.
The big picture
Although this ACT will be Harendra's first major tournament after being reappointed as the head coach of the women's team, he has been working with the team since the last seven months. He took charge from the European leg of the Pro League earlier this year where India lost all eight matches against Great Britain, Germany, Argentina and Belgium.
Results didn't matter much in the Pro League games though, as the team was regrouping after a tough few months where they failed to qualify for the Olympics which ultimately led to previous coach Janneke Schopman's departure.
Despite the defeats, Harendra's stamp on the team was visible as India started making improvements. After the first four matches in Antwerp, where India scored just once, there was marked progress in all the aspects when they played in the London leg a few days later. There were goals in all four matches against Germany and Great Britain. More importantly, they played like a cohesive unit on the pitch with better attacking play on the ball and increasing their work rate off the ball.
Harendra is not new to coaching India's national teams and his philosophy is rooted in direct attacking hockey with emphasis on speed. After spending most of his seven months so far at the team's base at the SAI complex in Bengaluru, the coach named a young squad with players who have speed and directness in their game while leaving out senior players Vandana Katariya, Monika and Nisha.
Who are the players to watch out for?
Like their captain Salima, Indian attackers in the team like Sangita Kumari, Sunelita Toppo, Manisha Chauhan, Beauty Dungdung, Navneet Kaur and Sharmila Devi are known for their explosive pace. Rapid transitions from defence to attack will be key for Harendra's gameplan while he would also hope they don't waste too many of their goal-scoring chances, which had become a major issue under Schopman's reign.
For penalty corners, India will depend on Deepika but Harendra will hope more scoring chances are created via open play because he has the players who can get into the dangerous positions quickly. Sangita will have to step up and play a big role in scoring along with Navneet and Preeti. Sangita has made massive improvement to her finishing skills under Schopman while Navneet will aim to score more consistently.
At the back, there's the experience of former captain Savita Punia and the other goalkeeper, Bichu Devi, has been with the Indian setup for quite some time now. The likes of Udita, Sushila Chanu and Vaishnavi have also been pretty much solid in the last year or two.
In terms of opponents, India will face stiff competition from all the teams but especially from China and Japan. China are the Olympic silver medallists and Japan defeated India in Ranchi earlier this year to kill their Olympic hopes. However, Chinese squad has just two players from their impressive Olympic campaign and their chief coach Alyson Annan is also not with the team.
India's squad
Goalkeeper: Savita, Bichu Devi Kharibam.
Defenders: Udita, Jyoti, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Ishika Chaudhary.
Midfielders: Neha, Salima Tete (captain), Sharmila Devi, Manisha Chauhan, Sunelita Toppo, Lalremsiami.
Forwards: Navneet Kaur (vice-captain), Preeti Dubey, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, Beauty Dungdung.
Presenting the fierce forward line of the Indian Women's Hockey Team! �� With unmatched speed, skill, and teamwork, these players bring relentless energy and determination to every match. #IndiaKaGame #HockeyIndia #BharatKiSherniyan #IndianWomensHockey #ForwardForce
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.... pic.twitter.com/yVAwYBzVpV- Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) November 9, 2024
India's schedule
November 11: India vs Malaysia at 4:45 PM.
November 12: India vs Korea at 4:45 PM.
November 14: India vs Thailand at 4:45 PM.
November 16: India vs China at 4:45 PM.
November 17: India vs Japan at 4:45 PM.
November 19: Semifinals.
November 20: Final.
Competition format
The six participating nations will play each other once with the top four making it to the semifinals.
What they said?
"The team's body language has changed in the last few months, at this point we are all well aware of our roles and responsibilities. The Women's Asian Champions Trophy is a big platform for the team to excel and showcase our potential. This is the first step towards the 'mission LA28' and the team is eager to show everyone that we are on the right path," Harendra Singh said.
"This is the first time I will be leading the team out in a major international tournament, and I am proud that I have been trusted with this responsibility. We are ready, now is the time to show everyone that we are a very fit, high-level team capable of beating the best teams in the world," Salima Tete said.