In a season packed with big-ticket events like the Asian Games and the World Cup, India’s women’s hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne is focused on minimising injuries and maintaining consistency.
“When I took charge in January, my first step was to get rid of a lot of injuries. We were almost 14, and then the qualification for the World Cup was important, so there was no time for development, no time for managing the load, and after that, we had a really good tour to Argentina,” Marijne told the media in an interaction facilitated by SAI.
India recently played out a 2-2 draw in a four-match Test series against the second-ranked Argentina, but has been plagued with injuries since the Dutchman returned as coach in January. Sangita Kumari and Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke are currently out due to ACL injuries.
“Argentina is No. 2 in the world, and we could get to know the benchmark of world hockey. The benchmark was very important from there on, we had more time to work on the fitness in the camp. And now we will head to Australia, where we will have practice matches there and see them play a different style than Argentina,” he said.
India is going to tour Australia and play four matches at the Perth Hockey Stadium in the build-up to the FIH Nations Cup from June 15 in Auckland, New Zealand. They need to win the tournament to regain entry into the Pro League after being relegated last year.
“Australia is going to be a crucial tour for us, and I want to continue the good habits from the Argentina tour. We played really well in the last two games on the tour, and I would like to see the same behaviour against Australia,” he added further.
Indian skipper Salima Tete also concurred with the head coach regarding maintaining discipline and continuity. “The girls are really working hard in terms of fitness, everyone knows the importance of fitness. If we are fit, we can beat any team. Discipline can beat any team. The Australia tour will be a very good preparation for us, and we will give our best,” she said.
However, the eyes of the Indian women’s hockey team remain on two marquee events of the year: the Asian Games, which will provide the 2028 LA Olympics pathway and the World Cup. “We will not only play matches, but we also have training there and from there on we move to the Nations Cup. All these tournaments, all these matches must lead to good preparation for the Asian Games,” said Marijne.
One of the key areas of concern has been the lack of conversion from the penalty corners. India hired Dutch legend and one of the world’s most feared penalty corner specialists , Taeke Taekema, to tackle the problem.
“He has been with the team for two weeks now. He will also be part of the Australia and New Zealand tour. It is something we can improve on, but we are not the only ones struggling. One good thing is that Tae has been with China, so he knows a lot about improving PCs. I also used him on the defending part of penalty corners. So, it is really good to have him around,” Marijne said while praising the more number of specialist coaches in the staff this time as compared to his previous stint.
When asked if the Australia tour will act as the selection trials for the girls, Marijne said,”Every tour, every camp, every tournament is for me a selection trial for the next tour or camp. So, it never stops and is a continuous process. In Australia, the girls will get international exposure, and that is important for me. While it is important to improve in the camps, playing at the international level is always different.”
Be the first to comment on "HIL: Marijne aims to improve India’s consistency as Asian Games, World Cup loom large"