CHENNAI: In the women's Asian Champions Trophy's group stage, India have been not just dominant, but they have been able to find the out of any tricky situations. Whether it was dominating against Malaysia in the opener or sneaking the goal to break the deadlock against South Korea, India kept finding ways to score goals. Even when they faced the Paris Olympic silver medallists, China, Salima Tete's team came on top. However, now they have to keep all of that behind them when they face Japan in the semi-final in Rajgir.
"Pool games are completely different than knockouts so everyone prepares in the best way possible. We are definitely going to face some restrictions from the Japanese team," India's chief coach Harendra Singh told the media before the knockout game. "They are a good side, but we have to do our homework on how we want to exploit our chances and how we want to play. So far, girls have executed well how we wanted them to grow individually and take the challenge. The semi-finals will be a different ball game," he added.
Singh, who took over the women's team in April after the resignation of Janneke Schopman following India's failure to qualify for the 2024 Olympics, praised the group for being on the right path. "Are we entering the circle the way we want to? Yes, we are. I am happy with the way we are planning and entering. The next question is are we getting enough shots on the goal? Yes. When it comes to finishing, We are scoring good goals. I would say they have scored a few amazing goals in the tournament. There is still room for improvement and it comes from experience. So far our plans are working," the 55-year-old said.
In this tournament, with her ten goals, Deepika has been the star of the show for India. One of the youngsters on the team has taken to the new approach by the coach like a fish to the water.
"Deepika, she is just 21. The way she is playing, the kind of skill and mentality she has, and if she keeps growing she can be a lethal striker. I am working on her drag flick. I am not going to put a lot of pressure on her. She should play her natural game. If she continues to do that she can always deliver the result. After the Pro League, I had a one-on-one meeting with her. I told her I was going to make her one of the leather strikers, but you have to work hard on that. I think Bihar has adopted all 20 players of the team, not just Deepika. When their names are announced before the match, we hear a lot of chants. The vibes in the hockey stadium are amazing," the coach could not help but praise the number of fans showing up for women's hockey in Bihar.
Even though Deepika has scored the most goals for the team, the likes of Tete, Navneet and Sangita have also stepped up when needed. That has reduced the pressure on any one particular player to score, liberating everyone to play their best game. Singh explained the thinking that went behind the scenes and also emphasised that there is still scope for improvement in this team.
"If we analyse this team, whether it is Navneet, Sunelita Toppo, or captain Salima Tete, they used to be strikers. I am playing them in midfield now. They have that skill and know how to create those chances. That is why the team is looking more attacking these days. Even if you change a player's position, if you have the same mindset of scoring goals, it works. We don't want to rely on one player because it puts a lot of pressure on that one individual. We need a player for the position, it doesn't matter who that player is. One needs to take that responsibility. We need to have backup plans as well as the capacity to make individual decisions on the go when needed," the coach mentioned.
Since he took over, Singh has made sure the fitness levels of all of the players are up to the mark. He believes that goal (fitness) has changed the way his team has looked in the last couple of days.
"If you are fit, you are fresh. Your oxygen intake is very high and with that fatigue factor is reduced. If you have enough oxygen, you are able to make better decisions. We addressed this issue of fitness and since then their decision-making has been better. I think we are on the right path and making some progress."
India have seen multiple standout individual performances in this tournament. Japan, the team they defeated a few days ago to remain unbeaten in the group stage, is standing between them and the spot in the final. At Rajgir, in the middle of thousands of adoring and vocal fans, they have to tackle the Japanese challenge one more time.