India look to rebuild at Asia Cup, make cut for World Cup

After a few steps back, the women's hockey team hopes to take meaningful strides forward

- Shahid Judge

Training sessions for the Indian women’s hockey team of late have been highlighted by a few specific drills for different sets of players.

“The strikers are working separately and practicing their finishing. The defenders are working on their communication to be more rigid in defence,” said vice-captain Navneet Kaur.

On any other occasion, this may seem natural. But as the Indian team dissected and analysed the disastrous 2024-25 FIH Pro League season, which saw them get relegated to the Nations Cup after finishing ninth and last, it found that these were the two main shortcomings.

In their 16 matches, the Indians won two games, drew three and lost 11. In that run, they scored only 22 goals, made the least number of circle penetrations (210) among the nine teams, and conceded 52 penalty corners. These are alarming numbers. But the statistics indicative of a team going through a period of transition.

They do not, however, have much time to settle in, as the team gets set to compete at the Asia Cup in September, where a spot at the 2026 World Cup is on offer.