Ready to face tough teams at Hockey Paris Olympics qualifiers, says India skipper Savita Punia

Punia also spoke about the crowd support in Ranchi during the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2023.

The Indian women’s hockey team remains unfazed by the prospect of facing tougher teams at the upcoming FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Ranchi, scheduled from January 13th to 19th. Captain Savita Punia expressed the team’s confidence following a successful campaign at the Jharkhand Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2023 in Ranchi.

Eight national teams, including Germany, Japan, Chile, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, the United States, Italy, and India, will compete in the upcoming tournament to secure their spots in the Paris Olympics. The teams are divided into two pools, with the Indian women’s hockey team placed in Pool B alongside New Zealand, the United States, and Italy, while Pool A consists of Germany, Japan, Chile, and the Czech Republic.

During the Pool stage of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Ranchi, each team will face every other team in their group once. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semifinals on January 18. The final as well as the 3rd/4th place match is slated to take place on January 19. Notably, the top three teams from the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Ranchi will secure their qualification for the Paris Olympics.

“We are confident in our abilities, and the rankings of opposing teams don’t faze us as we are ready to face all the tough teams coming to India for the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Ranchi,” said Indian captain Savita about the upcoming tournament.

When asked about the probability of facing Germany later in the tournament, she said, “We played Germany in July, so we know what we’re up against.”

Chief coach Janneke Schopman echoed Savita’s confidence, emphasizing the lessons learned from the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2023, where they remained undefeated against Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand.

“A lot of things went well for us, but there are always areas for improvement. We need to avoid unnecessary cards and make better use of our referrals. Similarly, with our attacking style of play, we have to face many teams that play with 11 players behind their 25-yard line, and we need to improve our ability to create opportunities against a closed defense,” she added.

“This tournament showed we are a tough team. So, we will continue to focus on ourselves, look for ways to improve, and leave no stone unturned in our preparation for the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Ranchi in 2024. After the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, we are back on track, and we need to keep doing the right things on the way to the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Ranchi in 2024.

“We are familiar with New Zealand, we played against the United States in the FIH Pro League last year, but most importantly, I am happy to take on these tough teams at home,” elaborated Janneke Schopman on the team’s preparations.

The top three teams from Ranchi and from the Spain Qualifiers will join hosts France, Australia, Netherlands, China, Argentina, and South Africa at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Germany, at fifth, is the highest-ranked team participating in the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Ranchi next year.

New Zealand are ranked ninth, followed by Japan at 11th, Chile at 14th, the United States at 15th, Italy at 19th, and the Czech Republic at 25th.

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The victory in the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy has propelled the Indian women’s hockey team back to their best-ever ranking of sixth in the world. With the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Ranchi is set to be held in the same venue, the Indian team can count on unwavering home support to boost their morale.

“The support we received in Ranchi was motivating. Home crowd support can sometimes bring added pressure, but we were mentally prepared. Janneke advised that such occasions are rare and we should embrace them. The residents of Ranchi turned up in large numbers, and we couldn’t let them down.

“The team understands that we will receive similar backing during the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers, and if people are coming to support us, it’s our responsibility to repay their faith,” the captain concluded.