NEW DELHI: Two years back, the Indian women’s hockey team had failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Last year, they were relegated from the Pro League after finishing ninth and last in the elite competition.
Having already missed three chances to qualify for this year’s World Cup — the 2023-24 and 2024-25 Pro League and last year’s Asia Cup — the FIH World Cup Qualifiers that begin in Hyderabad on Sunday offers the final opportunity for the Salima Tete-led team to make the cut for the global showpiece to be held in Belgium and Netherlands in August. If they squander this chance, they will be cut-off from the world’s top teams.
On paper, world No.9 India look strong enough to qualify. England, the best ranked side at No.7, Scotland (15), South Korea (16), Italy (17), Uruguay (18), Wales (22) and Austria (33) will vie for the three qualification spots.
“We are really excited to play the qualifiers at home in front of our fans. The team has been preparing very hard for this tournament because we know what is at stake. Every team here is competing for a place in the World Cup, so we expect tough matches from the start,” said Salima.
The teams are divided into two groups. England, South Korea, Italy and Austria are in Pool A and India, Scotland, Uruguay and Wales in Pool B. The top two from each group will qualify for the semi-finals. Both the semi-final winners will qualify along with the winners of the playoff between the two losing semi-finalists.
Another qualifier is being held simultaneously in Santiago, Chile from where three teams will qualify. The highest ranked team finishing fourth in Hyderabad/Santiago will also earn a place in the World Cup.
It will be India’s first tournament under the recently appointed chief coach Sjoerd Marijne, who returned to train the side last month after Harendra Singh resigned in December. The Dutchman had guided India to an unprecedented fourth place at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Marijne has given the side a fresh look, bringing in Annu and Baljeet Kaur in the forward line and midfielders Sakshi Rana and Deepika Soreng. More importantly, former skipper Sushila Chanu will wear India colours for the first time since February 2025. The experienced defender had been in and out of the team due to a recurring knee injury.
The five who have been dropped are defenders Jyoti and Suman Devi Thoudam, midfielder Sharmila Devi and strikers Mumtaz Khan and Sangita Kumari.
But the biggest name missing is seasoned goalkeeper Savita Punia who has given the tournament a miss due to personal reasons. The former skipper had also skipped the Asia Cup in Hangzhou last September, India’s last international outing where they finished runners-up.
Forward and primary drag-flicker Deepika Sehrawat is also absent. She suffered a hamstring injury last September and continues rehabilitation. In her absence, Udita Duhan, Manisha Chauhan and Annu will take up set-piece duties.
India will open their campaign against Uruguay on Sunday. They play Scotland on Monday and Wales on Wednesday. They will be determined to make the most of playing at home and qualify as international hockey returns to the Telangana capital for the first time since the 2003 Afro-Asian Games.
“Playing in Hyderabad will be very special for us. The support from the home crowd always gives us extra motivation. Our focus is on taking one match at a time, staying disciplined, and giving our best so that we can deliver strong performances and secure our place in the World Cup,” said Salima.
