We're back: Indian women's hockey team starts LA 2028 journey on bright note

Rajgir (Bihar): A new-look and much-fitter Indian women's hockey team started its 2028 Los Angeles Olympics' qualification journey in the most perfect manner, producing a scintillating, unbeaten performance during its title-defending Asian Champions Trophy campaign here.

It marked a resurrection of sorts for the side that had been left deflated after failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics this year. It marks a fresh beginning for the team and its seasoned coach Harendra Singh.

Since taking over in April, Harendra's vision has been crystal clear -- to qualify for the 2028 Games.

He always believed and emphasised that a successful ACT campaign will be the right start for the team's journey towards the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.

And Harendra couldn't have asked for more from his wards.

"I truly believe this victory will inspire more young girls to take up hockey and further elevate the sport in India. We are thrilled to be able to bring this win to our fans and our nation," said captain Salima Tete after the brilliant campaign.

His primary focus since taking charge has been to improve the team's fitness, and fortitude and the Indian players performance in the just-concluded ACT was a testament to the fact that they have worked tremendously on these core areas and lived upto their coach's expectation.

"While we celebrate this win, our focus remains on long-term goals. We are working hard every day, trusting the process, and staying dedicated to delivering our best in every tournament," Salima said.

"Our ultimate aim is to bring more laurels to India and make the country proud," she added.

The Indians were impressive in most departments of the game and remained unbeaten in seven matches, including the semifinal and final.

What has been heartening for India was their ball transition from the backline to the opposition circle using both the flanks.

The resolute show by the defensive line was also one of the hallmarks of India's performance as they conceded just two goals in seven games, while scoring as many as 29 themselves.

Out of these 29 goals, 15 came from field efforts -- a heartening statistic --, 12 from penalty corners and two from penalty strokes.

The ACT produced many stars for India, the prominent among them was 20-year-old young striker Deepika, who was the tournament's highest scorer with 11 goals to her name, including four from field play, six from penalty corners and one penalty stroke.

In fact, five Indians were there in the top-10 scorers' list. Besides Deepika, Sangita Kumari (4 goals), Preeti Dubey (3), Navneet Kaur (3) and Lalrmsiami (3) were also impressive.

Harendra worked extensively on the fitness of the players in the run up to the tournament and it was clearly visible on the turf as the side played fast-paced, one-touch hockey throughout the tournament to trouble opponents, including reigning Olympic silver-medallists China whom they defeated 1-0 in the final to retain the title.

If Deepika was a sensation upfront, vice-captain Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami and Neha were the fulcrum of India's midfield.

Besides Deepika, young Sangita too was brilliant inside the circle, while Salima and 17-year-old Sunelita Toppo simply broke down the opposition defence with their dribbling skills and brilliant runs from the flanks.

The defensive line was brilliantly held together by Udita, Sushila Chanu, Jyoti and Ishika Chaudhary. So good was their performance that Indian goalkeepers Savita Punia and Bichu Devi Kharibam were hardly called into action in the tournament.

But going forward, their is a vital area of concern for Harendra -- conversion rate from penalty corners.

The statistics might show India scored 12 from penalty corners but the team's conversion rate was very poor.

The Indians earned penalty corners aplenty in all the matches but lacked in execution and variation despite having as many as four options in the side in the form of Deepika, Udita, Navneet and Manisha Chauhan.

But the future augurs well for the Indian team as the players look to gain much-needed exposure by rubbing shoulders with the best of the world in the first-ever four-team women's Hockey India League, starting in Ranchi on January 12 and finishing on January 26.