6August 2021 will always remain etched in the memories of countless Indian fans. It was the day when the Rani-Rampal led Indian women’s hockey team were playing their bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics. Even though the team narrowly lost out on the medal after a close encounter with Great Britain, with the final scoreline reading 3-4, the unprecedented fourth place finish was a triumph as the team exceeded all expectations and punched above their weight. However, as the team’s skipper Rani Rampal pointed out, the women’s hockey team has to “build on the historic Tokyo campaign”. Several hockey pundits labelled the fairytale Tokyo campaign of the Indian women’s team as a one-time affair and said that the reception of the Indian fans and the media would throw a spanner into the momentum of the team. The team knew they had a task at hand with consistency being important. The first assignment for the 44-year-old head coach of the Indian women’s team, Janneke Schopman, was the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy. However, the COVID-19 pandemic proved spoilsport and the team had to pull out of the tournament after one of its players tested positive. The team then travelled to Oman to defend their 2017 Asian Cup victory without Rampal as she was undergoing rehabilitation for an old injury. With a young team at hand, Schopman had a mountain to climb. India blew hot and cold in the initial stages of the tournament as they first steamrolled past Malaysia 9-0 in their tournament opener, followed by a 0-2 loss at the hands of Japan. Following another massive victory of 9-1 against Singapore, the Indian team qualified for the semi-finals. Much to the disappointment of everyone, the team failed to advance after a 2-3 loss to South Korea. The team bagged a consolation victory in the 3rd-4th place match, triumphing over China 2-0. Forward Sharmila Devi and drag-flicker-cum-defender Gurjit Kaur netted the goals for India. Lack of practice in competitive matches after the Tokyo Olympics was one of the main reasons behind India’s mediocre performance at the Asia Cup. However, Gurjit Kaur showcased her class with four scintillating goals in the tournament. The next frontier was the Women’s Pro League organized by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). India’s performance in the initial stages has been convincing with wins against China and Spain, but it remains to be seen how it fares going ahead. The Indian team has certainly ticked all the boxes in terms of having a smooth build-up of momentum post the triumph at Tokyo and will look to capitalise on all the opportunities at the FIH Pro League and other upcoming tournaments. With a team that exudes grit and fortitude, India has a strong chance of bagging a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Theunprecedented 4th place finish at Tokyo 2020 was a triumph as the team exceeded all expectations.
10 Apr 2022
Sayanta Sengupta
