The Indian team will look to work on consistency in penalty corners conversion in the FIH Hockey Pro League when it takes on Ireland on Friday.
| Photo Credit: BISWARANJAN ROUT
The last time Janneke Schopman was in India with a national team, she had to oversee the Indian women missing the bus for the Paris Olympics, going down in the qualifiers which Germany eventually won.
On Friday, she would be in the same German dugout, planning victory against her former wards who have not had a great time in the FIH Pro League so far with just one win in four games. The Germans haven’t done any better and are yet to win in their six outings but have the advantage of experimenting as much as they want – as winners of the 2023-24 season, they are already assured of a World Cup spot.
The Indians, meanwhile, are in a rebuilding phase, testing new faces and combinations under a coach who needs to balance experimentation with results. The team has impressed in patches and some of the newcomers including debutants Rutuja Pisal and Sakshi Rana have performed well but the team has not been able to find its rhythm or match up to the opponents’ pace and quick counters. Coach Harendra Singh would be hoping his girls find consistency against Germany, a side they have beaten outright just once in the last 19 years.
The men will have it slightly easier, on paper, taking on lower-ranked Ireland in their next two games but aware that their opponents have the reputation of punching above their weight. That coach Craig Fulton would have the inside information on many of those players will definitely be an advantage but the last time the two teams met, at Paris, India had to work hard for its victory.
Ireland last beat India at the Azlan Shah Cup in 2018 and the host holds a 7-1 advantage in their last nine outings with one draw but the host’s penalty corner concerns are steadily growing. The team is yet to convert from the 14 it has earned so far. Harmanpreet Singh sat out a couple of matches and Jugraj Singh, the top-scorer in the HIL, has failed to replicate that form with the national team.
Also playing their first game here will be World No. 1 the Netherlands, taking on England to get back on the winning track after an upset loss to Argentina in the previous leg in December. The Dutch women have come with a fairly young side that, incredibly, still has 11 from the gold-winning Olympic side.
Friday’s matches: Women: England vs The Netherlands (3 pm), India vs Germany (5.15 pm); Men: India vs Ireland (7.30 pm).
Published – February 20, 2025 06:26 pm IST
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