Indian women's hockey team seeks balance between attack and defence
BHUBANESWAR: After an impressive performance at the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian women's hockey team will be eager to prove that their fourth-place finish was not a flash in the pan. Though they might have just secured bronze in the Asia Cup last month, they have some important events lined up in 2022, including the Asian Games and the World Cup to showcase their skills.
Hence, the FIH Hockey Women’s Pro League matches will prove to be a big test against quality opponents to know where they really stand. With their matches against the Netherlands cancelled due to Covid, the women's team have turned their attention to Spain, who will face India here on February 26 and 27. Captain Savita Punia also said it was 'unfortunate' that they missed the chance to play against the Netherlands at their home turf.
The team is currently preparing at the Kalinga Stadium and head coach Janneke Schopman is working on improving their team's attack, especially goal conversion.
"Pro League is a good platform, where our girls will get the chance to compete with higher-ranked teams in the home conditions. Ahead of Asian Games and World Cup, these matches will help our players to test their nerves. In our training, we are implementing different methods to convert the PCs. The team is also adopting the style of attacking hockey as well as quality defence," said Janneke.