The fifth-place finish at the 2026 women’s FIH Hockey World Cup — the best performance ever by an Indian team — deserves praise.
For the players, however, there is no time to celebrate and rest on their laurels, with the Asian Games right around the corner. Onwards and upwards is the theme in the squad, which departed for Japan after completing a training camp at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus here.
For forward Navneet Kaur, defender Lalremsiami Hmarzote, goalkeeper Savita Punia and skipper Salima Tete, the goal is clear: to win a first gold at the continental event since 1982.
The players were in an upbeat mood during a media interaction arranged by SAI here. Excerpts:
You had a break of just a week after the World Cup. What did you do during this period?
Navneet: It was not a week’s break; it was a three-day break. We took rest. You have to take care of your recovery, along with your diet. We did go out into the city for a day. For the most part, it was all about taking care of our diet.
Did the players get time to celebrate the fifth-place finish at the World Cup?
Navneet: No, I think celebrations should happen after we win a medal. Of course, we did well to finish fifth, but we wanted to win a medal. The next tournament — the Asian Games — is even more important. We are focused on that. We will celebrate after that.
How much work have you been doing on finishing? Have you done anything different in the last year?
Navneet: Since (head coach) Sjoerd Marijne arrived, we have been focusing on scoring. As strikers, we have been training separately. We have been training for field goals, to create something in the ‘D’, or to create penalty corner chances. We have been training for all that. We have Taeke Taekema with us as the drag-flick coach, but he also helps with hitting. We have been training with him as well.
What is your next target?
Navneet: Our next target is the Asian Games. We have been preparing for it for four years. We will do our best there. Our team has gained a lot of confidence from the World Cup. We will enter the Asian Games with that confidence.
The European teams in the World Cup were very good, and we performed well against them. As a player, you feel good when you have performed well against good teams. Of course, there are good teams in the Asian Games too. There are also a few lower-ranked teams. It is very important to have that belief as a team and as a player. With that belief, we will go to the Asian Games.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) on September 4 unveiled the mock athlete quarters in Bengaluru and Patiala, designed to replicate accommodation in Japan.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
Apart from medals, the Asian Games winner also earns an Olympics berth. Is this an added motivation?
Navneet: The World Cup and the Asian Games are equally important. These big tournaments take place only once in four years. From the Asian Games, we can qualify for the Olympics. So this is also important for us.
Savita, you celebrated on the sidelines when fellow goalkeeper Bichu Devi made that last-gasp save against England in the World Cup. Tell us about your camaraderie with Bichu, given that you are a senior and Bichu started as your understudy.
Savita: My general nature is that I like to connect with everyone.
I believe that the more you are connected off the field, the better the connection is on the field. We are each other’s competitors in training. When we play for India, I want to motivate Bichu the best I can. When I am inside the field, Bichu gives me that motivation.
I think we are setting a good example. This is not the first time I am experiencing this. When I was young, Yogita (Bali) was my senior, and I learnt a lot from her. After that, we had Rajani (Etimarpu). Now it is Bichu and me.
Every coach has his own choice. Which goalkeeper will play today? Will I play the whole match today, or will Bichu play? Whatever the case, we push each other in training.
I know that Bichu is a very good goalkeeper. I will push her as much as I can. If I can motivate her, it is good for Indian hockey.
India last won an Asian Games gold in 1982. Looking at this squad, do you believe that the team can go all the way?
Savita: Every player wants to give their best performance in all tournaments. We did get appreciation for our performance in the World Cup, but only we know how sad we were that we could not win a medal. It is not just about putting in the effort for one tournament. It is a four-year effort.
We have won silver and bronze in the past Asian Games. We talk less about winning the gold. We want to qualify for the 2028 LA Olympics. That’s our target. That’s our dream.
It is important to note that other teams are as focused as we are. You have to look at it match by match. In fact, every match is divided into four parts. We want to go all out in those 15 minutes, and then the next 15 minutes and so on.
China is your main challenge in the Asian Games. India recorded a draw against China in the World Cup. Does that boost the confidence?
Savita: It was a very important draw. A lot of people messaged us saying that we defended well. No, it was not just defence. We played attacking hockey. We had more circle entries than them. We created more chances than them. It was very important for us to either win or draw against China.
In the Asia Cup final last year, China defeated us 4-1. So this draw was very important for us because it gave us the belief that if we play good hockey, we can hold them to a draw or even win.
Everyone only talks about China and India. But in the 2018 Asian Games, Japan defeated India in the final.
In the 2022 Asian Games, Korea reached the final. So I think all four teams are good. I know that rankings differ, but every team is a challenge.
Lalremsiami, you are a role model for young women in Mizoram to promote hockey.
Lalremsiami: Yes, there has been an impact, especially after our fourth-place finish at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The image of Mizoram changed. I could not believe it. When I went home after the Olympics, everyone started talking about hockey. Parents and young kids came to speak to me. They asked me to play hockey with them. I really liked it. I got a lot of motivation from it.
Salima, you are from Jharkhand, which is a powerhouse of Indian hockey. How does it feel to captain the Indian team as a player from Jharkhand?
Salima: Like Lalremsiami said, we got so much love after the Tokyo Olympics. In Jharkhand, there were a lot of people who did not know much about hockey. But after the Tokyo Olympics, everybody knows about it. They understand that hockey is a great platform.
Hockey can give you everything. Hockey has certainly given me everything in life.
My family, my village, everything has changed. It is something we never imagined. It makes me emotional.
Even when I had nothing in my village, I played hockey. Now, people in my village know me. They know my parents. It is a big motivation for me.
I try my best to take hockey to a higher level. I do my best so that youngsters learn from me and get interested in playing hockey.
Published – September 09, 2026 06:46 am IST
