Indian Women's Hockey Team Aims for Improvement After World Cup Progress

The Indian women's hockey team, led by coach Sjoerd Marijne, has advanced to the second round of the FIH Women's Hockey World Cup 2026 after a 0-0 draw against England. While pleased with their progress, Marijne emphasizes the need for improvement in quality and consistency. The team earned 12 penalty corners but struggled to convert them, highlighting areas for growth. As they prepare to face the Netherlands next, the focus remains on enhancing their performance and maintaining pressure management, especially among young debutants. Read more to discover Marijne's insights and the team's aspirations.

By Narendra Chaudhary Aug 21, 2026, 08:36 IST

Coach Sjoerd Marijne's Insights on Team Performance

In Amstelveen, Netherlands, on August 21, the head coach of the Indian women's hockey team, Sjoerd Marijne, expressed satisfaction with the team's advancement but emphasized the need for further growth. He stated, "We are pleased, but we desire more." This statement followed India's progression to the second round of the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026, where they secured a 0-0 draw against England, finishing second in Pool D behind China.

Entering the match, India understood that a draw would suffice for advancement, yet they played aggressively, earning three penalty corners in the first quarter without converting any. Despite several opportunities for field goals, players Ishika and Salima Tete were unable to score, as reported by ESPN.

In a video shared by Hockey India on X, Marijne highlighted the necessity for the team to enhance their quality and consistency in ball possession, particularly in maintaining the passing standards exhibited in the initial two quarters. He praised the young debutants for managing the pressure effectively but reiterated that the team is eager for more progress.

Marijne noted, "We struggled with quality when in possession. Initially, our passing was excellent, but we lost some fundamentals later on. We need to replicate the performance of the first two quarters consistently. If we can achieve that, we can compete with any team globally. I’m pleased with how they handled the pressure, especially the young debutants, but we still want more."

Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne reflects on the Indian Women’s Team’s hard-fought 0⃣-0⃣ draw against England and their journey into the next round of the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026.

Hear it from the man at the helm. #HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #HWC2026… pic.twitter.com/RyVNBVlGyo

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 20, 2026

Marijne commended the team's defensive strength and their ability to defend penalty corners, asserting that these attributes must be relied upon during challenging matches. He acknowledged the need for India to be more effective with penalty corners, especially after earning 12 against England, while also crediting England for their solid defense.

"In matches like these, it’s crucial to depend on your defense and penalty corner defense. We did that today, but there are areas for improvement. With 12 penalty corners, we should aim to convert at least two or three. Today, while Deepika and Navneet executed well, England's defense was also impressive. We need to move forward and not dwell on what we can't do, as demonstrated at the Nations Cup," he remarked.

India's next challenge will be against the Netherlands in the opening match of the second pool phase on Friday evening.