BHUBANESWAR : It was February 2017. The Indian women’s team were ranked 12th in the world. They had qualified for their first Olympics in over three decades, but Rio de Janeiro turned out to be a chastening experience.In 300 minutes, they managed only three goals, conceded 19 and finished bottom. A dream became a nightmare. It was with this backdrop that Sjoerd Marijne took charge of the team for the first time.
The Dutchman, also a motivational speaker, got down to work. After one of his first training sessions in Bengaluru, Marijne made a Churchillian speech. “Do you always want to be No 12? This is your moment. You can be ranked between No 6 to 10 in the next couple of years.” The speech did have the desired effect — the team are now No 9 — but it took time.Reflecting on his first innings (February to September 2017), Marijne singles out the Netherlands tour in September as the turning point. “That’s when I felt that they started to understand what I wanted,” he told select media after a training session on Tuesday night.
But that understanding was abruptly cut short a few days later. Marijne was put in charge of the men’s team. Looking back, he is upset about the suddenness of it all. “I don’t like it when I cannot finish my work. That was my disappointment.”
While the Indian hockey fraternity ridiculed Marijne when he was again put in charge of the women’s team (after the 2018 Commonwealth Games), the 45-year-old was privately thrilled because of a conversation he’d had. “One player came to my room and said, ‘We are happy that you came back’.”
This is the context behind why this weekend is important for Marijne and his players.
Two years ago, the players were fit. But not from a hockey perspective. Now they are one among the best. They lacked pace and technical skills then. Now, they’ve recently drawn a five-match series against world champions Great Britain 1-1.While Harendra Singh has also managed the women for a small period, it’s fair to say that this side — for the lack of a better phrase — are Marijne’s babies. “You are overweight. So you want to go a gym. You don’t get to the optimum weight in one month. That’s not how it works. It’s the same when it comes to coaching a team. There is a process. You need time as a coach. It’s step by step. They (players) didn’t disappoint me at all, as they were completely dedicated to what we were trying to achieve.”
Marijne also feels that his team has successfully mastered the art of choosing between passing and dodging; something they have historically struggled with. “They learned to adjust this aspect during the tour of Ireland and Spain earlier this year. I didn’t say anything apart from telling them that they have to adjust and see where spaces are. From then on, they started doing it more and more. Because they are involved in the whole process, they are also constantly asking themselves, ‘What can we learn? How can we improve?’”
It’s obvious that they have improved. To such an extent that even though there are 10 survivors from the last Olympics, the team believes that “it cannot be compared to the one that went to Brazil”. “That was a different phase”.In Rio, US had beaten them 3-0. Now, when they face them again in Bhubaneswar — for a two-leg Olympic Qualifier — they’ll be the underdogs, placed four rungs below India in the rankings.
Does Marijne think of making the Olympic cut as completing the job he’d begun two years ago? He does feel so, but he’s still focussed on the big picture. “It’s not only about achievement. I said this to the girls yesterday. They have become women during this journey.
“They organise themselves. They are showing leadership traits. They take initiative. And they speak well with the media. The mindset has changed. I am proud of them. So if things don’t go our way, I wouldn’t consider this as a failure. There are more things in life. But, yes. We are confident.”
Friday and Saturday, the days when they will face US, will reveal just how confident Marijne and his team are.
