Janneke Schopman looking to rev up team's intensity

Bengaluru, April 25

The Indian women’s hockey team will be focusing on increasing its level of fitness and speed, according to chief coach Janneke Schopman, who is hopeful the side can build on its recent successful run with good performances in next month’s FIH Pro League matches and the upcoming World Cup.

Following a successful FIH Pro League home leg, India are on top of the points table.

The team has commenced preparations for the final set of matches next month as well as the women’s World Cup, scheduled to begin on July 1 in Spain and the Netherlands.

India will be up against teams like Belgium, Argentina and the USA in their remaining Pro League games before heading to the World Cup.

“We made good progress in the last months and we will look to build on our performance. The focus will be on increasing our level of fitness and speed combined with fine-tuning our game principles. I’m keen to see the players individually take a step forward, as they know what areas they want to work on,” Schopman said. The camp for the core probables, which began on Sunday at the SAI centre here, will conclude on May 31. —