India have game plan ready for Australia, says Salima Tete

Bengaluru: A little over five months after Sjoerd Marijne took charge as the head coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, the national squad (ranked ninth in the world) has booked its World Cup berth by finishing runners-up in the qualifiers in March this year in Hyderabad before touring Argentina in April for a four-match series which ended in a 2-2 draw against the world No. 2 side. 

One of the key reasons for these early encouraging results is the positive mindset during play and practice instilled by the Dutchman, says captain Salima Tete. Working on the takeaways over the last few months, the team is now entering a gruelling second half of the year, beginning with a tour of Australia from May 26. 

“To draw the series against Argentina shows that we have improved,” Tete told DH. “We have combined well as a squad with a good mix of juniors and seniors supported by the coach and his team. Sjoerd sir is open to our feedback and his focus is always on us constantly improving.” 

All the work put in the month-long camp will be on display during their matches against the world No. 8 Australia scheduled on May 26, 27, 29 and 30 before the Nations Cup begins in New Zealand from June 15 to 21. 

“To become a strong pressing team and solid in the centre are departments we have extensively worked on. Australia is a very good team and we have our game plan ready.” 

For Marijne, making the girls physically fitter has been one of the top priorities. To meet the demands of what awaits, Tete said the girls dedicated time to address the chinks in the armour. 

“Sometimes, our footwork is not so good. While strength, endurance and speed were equally taken care of, we did a lot of agility drills. I can tell you the footwork has now improved,” offered the 24-year-old. 

Speaking about improvement, the once shy and reserved Tete now comes across as a confident and talkative individual. Has the self-assurance spilt over in captaincy too? 

“Definitely. I used to think that I had to focus more on myself, but now I have the responsibility of carrying the team along with me. Being aggressive doesn’t mean shouting at someone. Mistakes will happen. I understand all this much better now and try to talk it out and motivate the juniors while also learning from them.” 

Tete and her girls will stay back in Australia before flying to the Nations Cup where the winner earns a spot at the 2026-2027 Pro League. This is followed by the World Cup and Asian Games in August and September respectively.

“Yes, we are an excited bunch. Lots of matches are lined up and we are eager to do well,” she signed off.