Harendra's big challenge to revive Indian women's hockey team
The failure to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics led to Dutchwoman Janneke Schopman being removed as chief coach. Hockey India appointed Harendra Singh for a second time, after almost six years.
Under him, India lost all eight away games in the 2023-24 Pro League, although it could be argued that Harendra had just taken over. India just escaped relegation after finishing eighth.
The team bounced back by winning the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy in Rajgir, going undefeated in the tournament. But back in the 2024-25 Pro League, India just couldn't compete with the pace of the best in the world, ending ninth and last to be relegated.
'We are disheartened that we are out of the Pro League. We have identified the reason for the losses. Nikki (Pradhan), Udita and Sushila (Chanu) were injured before going to the Pro League – three dependable defenders – so we were handicapped. We had to shift midfielders Jyoti Singh and Vaishnavi (Vitthal Phalke) into defending,' Harendra said from Thiruvananthapuram.
'It was a major shift. Because of that we conceded 52 penalty corners, which is very high. And we conceded 35% of PC goals. That was a major difference.'
Of the 16 games, India won just two, drew three and lost 11. It has led to being relegated to the Nations Cup that they won in 2022 to earn promotion to Pro League.
'The areas of concern are not giving away soft PCs. If you give, don't concede. Also, it's a young team which lacks experience. There were 6-7 who were playing in the Pro League for the first time. They have to learn game and time management. We gave away many soft PCs which were converted with seconds left on the clock,' said Harendra.
'We also have to improve our decision making, like when you are tackling inside the circle or entering the opponent's circle. Rest, we were very much competitive skill-wise, fitness-wise, playing the kind of hockey we wanted to.'
Having failed to qualify for the Paris Games, it was vital that India took the Pro League route to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Not having achieved that, the next opportunity comes at the Asia Cup, to be played at Hangzhou, China from September 5-14.
It won't be easy as Japan will look to defend their title. India's biggest obstacle could be hosts China, the top Asian team ranked world No.4, the reigning Asian Games champions and Paris Games silver medallists.
'Against China in the last two games (India lost both), we were very much there. We have a 50-50 chance (at the Asia Cup). We have to hold our nerves and keep in mind time and game management. If you know that and are not giving soft PCs, it's always 50-50 against China,' added Harendra.
'We have a new team which has earned many circle penetrations but that doesn't define the result. That's a challenge. The players should control their emotions. They're too eager to score rather than choose the quality of skills which gives you the result by either a goal or a PC.'
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