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The Indian women’s hockey team finally registered their first win in the FIH Pro League 2023-24, against the USA by a 3-1 margin on Friday. It wasn’t a totally convincing effort but the technical superiority of the home team saw them through to a victory.
There were some very impressive moments for the Indian side in this match, played at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The second and the third goals scored by the Savita-led side were a treat to watch. However, in between that, there were some lapses and poor efforts too which saw the Americans having a chance to mount a comeback.
India being the better team, on paper, it wasn’t a surprise that they took the lead. As has been the case throughout this tournament, the Indian side launched an attack down the right-hand side.
This time, it was Sangita Kumari who took the ball along the baseline and gave a potent cross. As the ball lobbed up in front of the goal, Vandana Katariya tapped it in to give India the lead in the ninth minute.
The first half was dominated by India as they played a high press, another common feature of the team in this set of matches. They kept attacking the USA team’s circle and got their second goal in the 26th minute.
This was a stunning reverse hit from Deepika who got a brilliant pass from a teammate inside the circle down the right-hand side. The pass was almost too hard for her to stop but she managed somehow, albeit losing her balance somewhat in the process. She then decided to back herself and took a shot from an acute angle with the goalkeeper in the way. However, she went high with her hit and deposited it in the top left-hand corner.
The second half saw the Americans fighting back and threatening India’s lead. They halved it through Sanne Caarls’ strike in the 42nd minute. A tense period followed for the Indian team which ended when a brilliant run, on the left-hand side, for a change, from Deepika led to a pass that was deflected in by Salima Tete in the 56th minute.
This sealed the game for the Indian team. With the result in front of us, let’s take a look at the five hits and misses for the Indian team in this contest.
#Hit: Deepika’s starring role in the win
The star of today’s show for India was, undoubtedly, Deepika. She scored India’s second goal through a rasping reverse hit and then set up the third with her brilliant dribbling. The combination of the ability to run with the ball and hit it accurately is priceless in hockey.
The fact that she decided to take a shot for her goal and give a cross to Salima for India’s third goal shows that she has a good presence of mind also. Deepika has shown what a great asset she is for the Indian team.
#Flop: India’s defense
At the halftime break, India’s coach Janneke Schopman said that her team needed to defend well. Her concerns were understandable in the light of what happened in the second half.
While the Indian team didn’t have much defending to do in the first 30 minutes, things changed in the next 30. And the Indian defense didn’t look up to the challenge often.
The Indian team has played a high press in this tournament and were bound to do so against a weaker team like the USA. This tactic requires good counter-control. This was missing as American counter-attacks came too frequently.
Even when the Indian team fell back in defense fully, they weren’t fully clinical in their efforts. Too many mistakes were made and too much room was given to the opponents. Fixing the defense would be a priority for Schopman in the coming days.
#Hit: Navneet Kaur forms the core of the team, literally
Despite being an ace attacker, Navneet Kaur played a different role for her team in this match. She was in the middle of the field as the main midfielder for her side. And she was brilliant in that position.
The Indian midfield has been missing in action in this set of matches and that might have prompted the team to have one of their best players in the central position. When she had to leave the field for a break, the team looked somewhat dysfunctional.
Navneet has become for the women’s team what Hardik Singh is for the men’s side. It would be interesting to see what role she plays in the coming days.
#Flop: Lack of coordination among Indian attackers
Apart from defense, another area of concern for India was the inability of their forward line to work well in tandem. There were often crosses with no one to receive them and passes with nobody at the other end.
Considering the number of attacks made by India, this should have been an easy game. The fact that they didn’t score more was due to this flaw. This needs to be fixed as well.
#Hit: Lalremsiami’s all-round role
Throughout this set of matches for India, Lalremsiami has emerged as a vital cog in the forward line. She continued her good work and even extended it to other areas of the field.
The player from Mizoram is a hard worker. Though she doesn’t have Navneet's skills or Salima Tete's speed, she is a hard worker. In this match, the 23-year-old was all over the field and also helped out the defense when needed. It was another good day at the office for her.
