The Indian ladies’s hockey crew start their 2026 FIH Ladies’s World Cup marketing campaign in opposition to China.
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India will probably be that includes of their ninth ladies’s Hockey World Cup, after the ignominy of lacking out on the Paris Olympics. That low was preceded by the excessive of a fourth-placed end on the Tokyo Olympics, and India have as soon as extra turned to the person who led them there – Sjoerd Marijne.
The Dutchman has his activity lower out as India are in a troublesome Pool D alongside higher-ranked China and England, in addition to South Africa – with solely the highest two groups progressing into the second spherical.
The opener in opposition to China will reveal the place India are on the elite stage – their opponents are the most effective crew in Asia and are ranked second on the planet. India must get the higher of South Africa, however it’s their third match in opposition to England (ranked seventh, to India’s ninth) that might determine their destiny.
Marijne although, is not trying that far forward, saying “I’m actually taking a look at it match by match. So, the main focus is on China and successful that match. From there, we transfer ahead. First goal is to complete in prime two in our pool and attain the second stage.”
Marijne has continued with a squad boasting two extremes – expertise and youth. India are the one nation with 5 gamers over 200 or extra worldwide caps – the likes of Savita Punia, Neha, Nikki Pradhan, Lalremsiami and Navneet Kaur are taking part in of their third World Cup.
Captain Salima Tete, nevertheless, should steer the World Cup debutants – together with spectacular 18-year-old midfielder Sakshi Rana, India’s rising dragflicker Deepika Sehrawat (who was top-scorer within the FIH Nations Cup that India received not too long ago), in addition to 19-year-old Sunelita Toppo, who has been making waves together with her performances.
Marijne is relying on his skilled personnel when the going will get powerful, saying “You might be all the time looking for the proper steadiness of skilled gamers and junior. The seniors, in fact, will help the juniors on how it’s to play in a World Cup and likewise take duty when the stress is on.”
The going must get lots powerful in opposition to China, as India skilled within the 2025 Ladies’s Asia Cup, when Harendra Singh’s facet had been soundly overwhelmed 1-4 within the closing, having additionally misplaced by the identical scoreline to their opponents within the event.
