CHENNAI: As India and England played out a gripping Test at Edgbaston, the women's national team created history at the World Cup in London.
By playing in the quarterfinals, they had reached that mark for the first time in four decades. Their rapid ascent over the last 12-16 months after years of stagnation is noteworthy. In the previous two World Cups the team played this century, they finished 11th (2006) and ninth (2010). The fall from backmarkers to also-rans was complete at 2016 Olympics, as they finished bottom with just one draw and a goal difference of -16.
From there to last-eight at this World Cup, the transformation wouldn't have been possible if not for fitness and defending, according to coach Sjoerd Marijne. “The girls have achieved something that was not done for 40 years,” he told Express. “This will motivate them to go further.”
Numbers sometimes hide more than they reveal, but Marijne takes pride in the fact that his team conceded only three goals in the entire tournament (joint-least with champions Netherlands). “It was very solid and that starts with the strikers. Defending is something you do with the whole team.”
While lingering on positives, the former men's coach hoped to see improvements in other aspects before Asian Games later this month. “We have good self-confidence when facing every country, but there is scope for improvement in our passing. I would also like to see improved penalty-corner conversion.”
However, the one big change between previous women's sides and this one is their ability to keep running and keep chasing lost causes, even in the last minute. Lead scientific advisor Wayne Lombard explained how they have come up leaps and bounds in this discipline. “Once I had conducted various physiological tests and analysed their results (after joining the team in March 2017), I realised how far behind the 8-ball they were in terms of international level hockey,” he said.
To try and rectify that, he introduced a new benchmark. “The key was not to frighten them with too many stats, but slowly get them to buy into the process. One thing I did introduce was that each time we tested, each player should look to improve by 0.2 per cent. This in statistics is the smallest change needed to be deemed meaningful.”
This methodology of getting them to improve ever so slightly every time had its desired effects. “It was easy enough to achieve. It also meant that after 1 to 1.5 years, we would end up where we are now: great improvements. I think the biggest change is just being consistent in our inputs on a daily basis, and doing the simple things savagely well.”
If they can do the same things against the Asians in Jakarta, they might challenge China (World No 8) and South Korea (World No 9) for gold.
swaroop@newindianexpress.com