The Indian women’s hockey team will take on Italy in the semifinal of the FIH Women’s World Cup qualifiers in Hyderabad, with the confidence of already having all but qualified for the World Cup be held in Belgium and the Netherlands later this year.
On the path of revival after the return of former coach Sjoerd Marijne, India topped Pool B ahead of Scotland, Wales and Uruguay and will want to keep this positive momentum going by getting into the finals at home.
India are already assured of a World Cup berth as the top three teams in the two qualifiers and the higher-ranked out of the two fourth-placed teams make the cut. Japan finished fourth in the other qualifying tournament and India are ranked above them, so the team is in a no pressure zone going into the semis.
The Indian women have had a strong campaign so far. They opened the tournament with a massive 4-0 win over Uruguay on March 8 and then fought hard for a 2-2 draw against Scotland on Monday. In their last match, they beat Wales 4-1 with Navneet scoring a hat trick.
Young forward Sunelita Toppo has been in top form, scoring in both matches. Attackers Lalremsiami, Navneet Kaur, and Rutuja Dadaso Pisal have also been excellent, finding the net and creating multiple scoring opportunities. The Indian defence has also held firm, with goalkeeper Bichu Devi making crucial saves consistently.
Playing in front of a cheering home crowd in Hyderabad has also given the hosts a wonderful boost of energy, which was much needed after the recent slide of women’s hockey in India with a musical chairs of coaches and the blow of no Olympic qualification in 2024.
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