“He is better than Shah Rukh Khan. He is our real hero,” chuckles former captain and Padma Shri Savita Punia.
Current captain Salima Tete, vice-captain Navneet Kaur and senior player Lalremsiami Hmarzote nod in agreement. Chief coach Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne is reshaping the future of the Indian women’s hockey team and it’s just not about skills.
Last Friday, the Indian women’s hockey team for the upcoming Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, received a warm sendoff from the Sports Authority of India authorities in Bangalore.
The SAI campus has been the ‘home’ of Indian hockey for years now and the settings are just perfect to keep high-performance athletes in good space.
The Bengaluru campus wore a mini-Japan look. Starting from fully-furnished twin-sharing containers to an elaborate Japanese menu for tea and dinner, the hockey team got a feel of what to expect when they land in Japan on Tuesday.
The women’s team, a heady mix of experience and youth, is at the centre of all attraction. Can India win an Asian Games gold and secure a direct ticket to the LA 2028 Olympics?
Marijne, in his second stint as India’s chief coach, is not putting undue pressure on the players.
Since the squad just came off the gruelling FIH World Cup campaign in the Netherlands and Belgium, training sessions have been on the lighter side with more emphasis on team bonding and fitness drills.
The fifth finish in the World Cup has been their best at a Hockey World Cup since the inaugural women’s edition in 1974, when they finished fourth.
Women’s hockey has had a few “Chak de! India” moments in recent times and Savita, with over 300 international caps, feels Marijne has made a good impact after returning as India coach.
“Hamara coach Shah Rukh se bahut aage hai (Our coach is far ahead of Shah Rukh). We are blessed to have him and his team that is so energetic that it really drives us,” said the former skipper.
From making players wear “unity bands” to giving them crystal stones that enable bonding, Marijne has introduced simple things to keep the team together.
“This is really very nice. A foreign coach wanting us to do well for India in itself is so motivating,” explains Savita, who adds that giving the “Gen Z players freedom and liberty to make mistakes and learn” have had positive impacts.
Beating world No. 5 Germany 3-1 in their final match at the Wagner Stadium in Amstelveen on August 27 has rejuvenated Salima’s team that finished with two wins, three draws – against the People’s Republic of China, Australia and England – and one defeat against Olympic champions, the Netherlands.
This gritty show against teams that are ranked higher than India has now raised expectations but the coach and the senior players are cautious.
“There is a big target to win a gold medal and qualify for LA but we have to win matches before that,” Marijne said. “The World Cup experience will have taught the girls how intense big matches are. What is the level they have to play and only the girls can feel themselves. But India now competes with the best.
“We need to focus on ourselves and how we shape up for the games. We are 90 per cent about ourselves and 10 per cent about the opponent,” explained Marijne, adding that the intensity of training will increase once the Indian team reaches Japan.
The Asian Games women’s hockey competition usually remains restricted to China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India and Malaysia.
The 2-2 draw against China at the recent World Cup was a good result for Marijne’s team. India defeated Japan 2-1 in the FIH Nations Cup in June and haven’t played Korea in recent times.
At the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China won the gold beating South Korea 2-0. India won the bronze beating Japan 2-1.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/sjoerd-marijne-india-women-hockey-asian-games-2026-chak-de
