How Indian hockey team failed on big day to lose medal at Junior Women's World Cup

Tribune News Service

Indervir Grewal

Chandigarh, April 19

In the end, it wasn’t meant to be a repeat of 2013. Nine years after breaking the English hearts in the third-place shootout, it was India’s turn to feel the sting of losing in the tie-breaker, and see the bronze medal slip from their hands. In the 2013 edition, India won their first medal at the Junior Women’s World Cup. This time, England left with their first medal at the tournament.

Despite returning empty-handed, India would be proud of their performance. Not only did they make it to the semifinals of the event for only the second time, the way they got there was noteworthy.

They topped their pool with an all-win record, which included a stunning 2-1 result against Germany. Topping the pool meant they avoided defending champions Argentina in the quarterfinals, and faced South Korea, whom they blanked 3-0. In four matches, India scored 14 goals while conceding just two.

Like seniors, like juniors

They attacked swiftly with quick passes. The forwards were proactive in creating space, and showed awareness to be at the right place in the semicircle. The team also fired in front of the goal, with Mumtaz Khan (eight goals) finishing as the tournament’s third-highest scorer.

While defending, India used a high press — the players were tireless in executing a style that can be physically unforgiving — to effect counterattacks. At the back, they showed discipline and resolve. These aspects not only resembled the senior team’s style but also its mentality. It wasn’t a surprise because the juniors had been training with the seniors over the last year. Captain Salima Tete, Lalremsiami and Sharmila Devi were already senior team regulars. Five other players had made their senior debuts in the lead-up to the tournament.

The experience of training and playing with the senior team helped improve their confidence, the players said. That confidence was evident in their win over Germany. That result sent a warning signal to the other contenders. It also made the road ahead more difficult. With raised expectations, India needed to lift their game to the next level. While they eased past South Korea, they hit a wall against Netherlands. Having seen India surprise Germany with an early goal and defend their lead, Netherlands, despite being the top-scoring team, played a measured game. They defended well, and after getting the lead, controlled the pace of the game. Despite India missing their chances, the fact was that they couldn’t really loosen Netherlands’ grip over the game. To be fair, even Germany, who had scored 31 goals till the final, couldn’t break the Dutch, losing 1-3.

Big day jitters?

India, though, would be disappointed with their loss to a young English team. After the tournament was postponed in December, many of England’s World Cup squad transitioned into the senior squad. Only nine of the originally announced 20 players were selected again. That gave the team only a few months to train together. “Not only are we the youngest England side to play in this tournament… This team only came together two months ago… but we’ve smashed it,” England skipper Millie Giglio said after their bronze medal win.

While England stepped up on the day, the Indian players could not make it count in their biggest game. India’s finishing wasn’t up to the mark. The defence was guilty of lapses, which led to England’s late equaliser. Goalkeeper Bichu Devi, who was otherwise extraordinary in the tournament, conceded a soft goal. She also got her strategy wrong in the shootout, retreating too far back.

Importantly, India were unable to take control of the game despite being the favourites. They could not make their experience count. They lacked tactical maturity and adaptability during the match, something Netherlands showed in the final. Even after Germany scored the equaliser, which was the first goal conceded by the Dutch in the tournament, Netherlands did not lose their head. Even England executed their plan well against India. They defended stoutly, and slowed down the pace when in possession.

Strength in reserves

England’s medal-winning performance also highlights the depth in their reserves. In fact, all the top-three finishers have shown the extent of their players’ pool in the recent months.

To prepare for the World Cup, Germany sent their junior team for the FIH Pro League tie against an experienced senior Indian team. They earned three points from the two-match tie. Netherlands sent a team full of debutants for the India tie, with their seniors fulfilling club duties and the junior team busy at the World Cup. That team also went toe to toe with India. These teams benefit from a vast feeding network — the club system plays a vital role in not only spreading the game but also facilitating uniformity in training and playing styles across different age groups. The Indian system lacks such uniformity, which makes it harder for a new player coming into the core group (junior or senior) to adapt to the national team’s style.

However, reaching the semifinals despite their limitations was a big achievement for the Indian players. “I think the girls did develop greatly over the tournament,” India coach Erik Wonink said.

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