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The Hindu
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
How can Indian women's hockey team avoid relegation from FIH Pro League?
Indian women's hockey team, placed at the bottom of the FIH Pro League 2024-25 points table, needs a miracle to avoid relegation when it faces China in its final match in Berlin on Sunday. Salima Tete-led team is ninth with just 10 points in 15 games. Germany, the only other team at the risk of being relegated to FIH Nations Cup, is placed eighth with 13 points. Here's how India can save itself from being relegated? Coach Harendra Singh's team has to hope that Germany loses its last match to England early on Sunday. India then has to beat China in its season-ending fixture so that both India and Germany have 13 points. READ | Indian women on the brink of Pro League relegation after 3-0 loss to China The Indian team (-20) also needs a massive swing in terms of goal difference to edge Germany (-7) and stay in the Pro League next season. Germany plays its final match against England at 5:30PM IST. India's match against China begins at 8PM IST. So, if England beats Germany, India will be aware of the margin of victory it will need to stay in the next season of the Pro League. However, for Germany, a draw will be enough for survival and sending India to FIH Nations Cup.
Indian Express
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
India women's hockey team on the brink of relegation from FIH Pro League after defeat to China
When the Indian women's team gets relegated to the second tier of world hockey on Sunday, which they will despite the theoretical possibility of staying up, the immediate post-mortem will show one major cause — penalty corner defence. In their 1-5 drubbing at the hands of Belgium last week, four goals were conceded from penalty corners. Before that, when the women held Argentina to a 2-2 draw, the two goals were allowed from the set-piece. Even against Australia, when they won 2-1, the opposition scored a goal from a penalty corner. Unsurprisingly, that's how China hurt them too on Saturday. The Paris Olympics silver medallists beat their Asian rivals 3-0 in the penultimate FIH Pro League match in Berlin on Saturday, with two of those goals coming from penalty corners. India's capitulation cost them dearly as this was a must-win match for the team, coached by Harendra Singh and captained by Salima Tete. The loss — their 10th in 15 games — leaves them teetering. With only 10 points to show for the entire season, India are all but out of the next season of the Pro League. Fellow strugglers England beat Germany 1-0 to go four points clear with just a match to go. And though India can still go level on points with Germany – by beating China, assuming England win again. But for survival, a goal difference of 13 will have to be overturned. Theoretically possible but practically improbable. Relegation would be a disastrous prospect for India ahead of the World Cup and Asian Games. The Pro League, after all, guarantees 16 matches against the world's best opponents home and away. The second-tier competition, called Nations Cup, is just a week-long tournament offering one-third of the matches. The glum Indian faces at the end of the match told the story. The high of the Tokyo Olympics, where the women finished fourth, seems like a lifetime ago. Not winning the Asian Games gold medal, missing the Paris Olympics, and now on the verge of relegation from the Pro League are signs of a team in terminal decline. Coach Harendra will argue that this is a young Indian team. But it doesn't hold water — India's squad on Saturday averaged 81 international matches as opposed to China's 62. From the coach's point of view, his wards have been playing 'excellent hockey' throughout the tournament. Somehow, he argued in his players' defence, the 'results are not coming'. Going by Saturday's game, there wasn't a lot of evidence on display that India played 'excellent hockey'. Indeed, penalty corner defence is a big reason why the team finds itself in this predicament. But it's not the only cause. India were impatient in build-up, individualistic in attack, lacked imagination, kept running into opponents, and weren't sharp in the 'D'. And one is talking only about the offensive aspects. In the first two quarters, India tried to attack the Chinese goal by hitting the ball hard into their 'D'. It didn't matter that there were a bunch of defenders in front of them, waiting to block the ball. There was no attempt to quickly switch flanks and attack from areas where Chinese defenders weren't overloading; no attempt to play give-and-go passes and work their way into dangerous areas. And when India managed to threaten the Chinese goal, they weren't lethal enough. Baljeet Kaur, in the early exchanges, snatched possession near the 'D' and tried to test goalkeeper Surong Wu. Her shot — a half-chance — did not even hit the target. Later, Neha Goyal's eyes lit up when she was left one-on-one against the goalkeeper. But by the time she controlled the ball and looked up, Wu had already stepped out of goal — much to Neha's surprise — and was quick to smother the shot. And when India won penalty corners, Deepika's drag-flicks were too soft and predictable. Defensively, it wasn't too different either. As Harendra admitted during the half-time interview, India conceded far too many soft penalty corners. China initially had problems stopping the ball on the top of the 'D'. After a couple of failed attempts, they used the common hockey logic, moved their castle a couple of steps sideways and scored twice in the space of five minutes — the first, a sublime deflection from Yang Chen in the 21st minute and then, Ying Zhang slotted her drag-flick into the bottom right corner, where Jyoti Singh could have done better to stop the ball from going in. India did come out strongly in the third quarter but lacked the finesse as they were plagued by the same problems in China's 'D'. A tap-in by Anhui Yu to beat Savita Punia in goal in the 45th minute broke India's resolve. Deepika had a chance to reduce India's deficit in the final quarter when the team won a penalty stroke. But her attempt hit the post, summing up India's evening — creating chances but not finishing them. And it leaves the relegation sword hanging over them.
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
India Women Face Must-Win Clashes vs China to Avoid Pro League Relegation
The Indian women's hockey team is under intense pressure as it gears up to end its FIH Pro League campaign against China this weekend. Winless in its last six outings, India sits at the bottom of the nine-team table with just 10 points from 14 matches — staring at possible relegation to the second-tier FIH Nations Cup in 2026. This is far from the turnaround Hockey India had envisioned when Harendra Singh returned as head coach. Despite a promising start in the home leg, India's European tour unravelled with back-to-back defeats to Australia, Argentina, and Belgium. India faces fourth-placed China in consecutive matches on Saturday and Sunday, needing nothing less than full points to stave off relegation. While the team showed attacking intent, poor finishing and penalty corner execution have haunted it. Much of the burden fell on Deepika in set-piece situations, but she buckled under pressure more often than not. In contrast, the midfield — led by Salima Tete, Lalremsiami, Sharmila Devi, Neha, and a lively Sunelita Toppo — created ample chances. However, the forward line, including Navneet Kaur, Baljeet Kaur, and Deepika, failed to deliver in the circle, lacking composure at crucial moments. Defensive errors from Sushila Chanu and company further compounded the woes. Despite roping in Dutch drag-flick expert Taeke Taekema, India's conversion rate remains poor, and its backline continues to leak goals. With a direct World Cup spot via the Pro League now out of reach, India must regroup quickly — not just to avoid relegation, but to build momentum ahead of the all-important Asia Cup in Hangzhou this September. Related Topics FIH Pro League Hockey
The Hindu
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
FIH Pro League 2024-25: Indian women on the brink of relegation after 3-0 loss to China
Indian women's hockey team was pushed to the brink of being relegated from the FIH Pro League on Saturday after its 3-0 loss to China in Berlin. Salima Tete-led side is placed last amongst nine teams with 10 points in 15 games. India needs a favourable result from the fixture between seventh-placed Germany and eighth-placed England, set to take place later in the day, to keep its slender hopes of playing in the next season of the tournament. Coach Harendra Singh's team started the match against China on a positive note. Baljeet Kaur had the first real chance but her shot from the top of the circle in the third minute went wide. A minute later, India earned two quick Penalty Corners (PCs) but failed to convert either of them. READ | India vs Pakistan in FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup — Arch-rivals drawn in same group China got its act together soon and earned its first PC a minute later but India defended well. Veteran India goalkeeper Savita made some fine saves to deny the Chinese, including one in the 13th minute to keep out Guoting Hao's reverse hit. China, Paris Olympics silver medallist, took the lead after Chen Yang converted a PC in the 21st minute. Five minutes later, Zhang Ying made it 2-0 for her side from another PC. India enjoyed most of the possession in the third quarter but it was China which extended its lead courtesy a field goal from Yu Anhui in the last minute. China's was reduced to 10 players for the last five-and-a-half minutes after Chen Tong was issued a 10-minute yellow card. But India failed to make the advantage count with Deepika, taking a Penalty Stroke, hitting the post. India faces China in its last match of the season on Sunday and anything less than a win will confirm the side's relegation to FIH Nations Cup.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Special attention given to goalkeeping and dragflicking ahead of India's Pro League matches, says coach Harendra
Kolkata: Indian women's hockey coach Harendra Singh is hopeful of positive results during the Pro League matches starting in London on Saturday. The Salima Tete-led side will begin their European leg with two consecutive matches against Australia at Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre and then face off against Argentina — also a double header. They will next play twice against Belgium in Antwerp and a double header against China in Berlin. These eight matches will undoubtedly test the character of the team and the coach has left no stone unturned to prepare his wards for the challenges ahead. "We worked in every department but primarily focused on individual roles. Moreover, we gave special attention to goalkeeping and dragflicking. We sent Deepika and Manisha to Europe 10 days ahead of the rest of the team so that they could work under Dutch drag-flick expert Toon Siepman," Harendra said during a virtual interaction on Friday. As far as the goalkeeping is concerned, Simon Zijp, who earlier worked with the Indian goalkeepers ahead of the Pro League matches in Bhubaneswar, was back with the team. He has been working with the Netherlands women's and men's teams for about 13 years. And, among the many goalkeepers who he has trained over the years are Jaap Stockmann, Alexander Stadler, and Pirmin Blaak. Harendra, meanwhile, is hoping to use the team's experience of playing in Australia — where they played five matches and won one — to good effect and start their European sojourn on a high. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo "Australia played full press during the tour matches, so we're keeping that in mind that we should come out with the same pace on Saturday. We should counter it and stretch them and then play stick to stick hockey," added the coach, who took over the team last year. "The Australia tour was more about experience but during the Pro League we need to be more alert and scan the field and have peripheral vision." Moreover, the coach is quite optimistic of making it to the World Cup next year in Belgium and the Netherlands by faring well in the Pro League. India are currently placed sixth in the standings with nine points from eight matches and the coach believes that they can qualify for the quadrennial event by finishing fifth, which seems quite viable at the moment. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
