2 months ago
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The India women’s squad volition person a second, and final, accidental to seal its spot astatine the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026 erstwhile the Qualifiers get underway astatine the G.M.C. Balayogi Hockey Ground successful Hyderabad connected Sunday (March 8, 2026).
After missing nonstop qualification by finishing runner-up astatine the 2025 Women’s Hockey Asia Cup, India volition look to marque its accidental number successful the comfortableness of home. That proposition isn’t without its challenges, fixed that the lawsuit marks returning caput manager Sjoerd Marijne’s archetypal assignment.
India (ninth) is the second-highest-ranked squad successful the competition, down lone England, which ranks 2 places higher. Understandably, some teams are wide considered among the favourites to progress.
India’s squad features a steadfast blend of younker and experience. Still, it remains to beryllium seen however rapidly the players accommodate to Marijne’s methods – centred connected precocious pressing, accelerated transitions and assertive counterattacking play – fixed his 2nd innings is inactive successful its infancy.
Marijne has shown sizeable religion successful a radical of emerging players, including Bansari Solanki, Sakshi Rana, Annu, Ishika, and Deepika Soreng, arsenic helium looks to physique a squad susceptible of delivering results.
Veteran keeper Savita Punia and guardant Sangita Kumari are notably absent from the mix, the erstwhile pulling retired owed to idiosyncratic reasons and the second near retired of the squad.
Despite the beingness of experienced defenders similar Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam and Nikki Pradhan, India’s backline – peculiarly its quality to woody with punishment corners – remains an country of concern. Captain Salima Tete acknowledged this arsenic an country of enactment up of the competition.
Perhaps the biggest situation awaiting the teams volition beryllium the sweltering conditions, with temperatures already hovering astir 34°C and expected to emergence further successful the days to come. Some teams have, arsenic a result, incorporated sauna sessions into their preparations to acclimatise. Wales is 1 among them.
“We are precise fortunate that we ended up successful India’s group, truthful we person precocious games. We can’t kick excessively overmuch astir that,” Welsh skipper Elizabeth Bingham said with a wry smile.
India has been placed successful Pool B alongside lower-ranked Scotland, Uruguay and Wales who are good susceptible of springing a surprise. Pool A comprises England, South Korea, Italy, and Austria, with the apical 2 teams from each excavation advancing to the semifinals.
With different limb of Qualifiers conscionable concluded successful Chile, the champion 3 from some tournaments and the cumulative champion fourth-placed broadside volition beforehand to the World Cup.
