HYDERABAD, INDIA: India women’s hockey team head coach Sjoerd Marijne acknowledged that his wards need to continue on their winning run in the ongoing FIH World Cup Qualifiers 2026. Speaking to the media at the Gachibowli Stadium in the city, Marijne reiterated the need to be more efficient in open play.
India, most recently, defeated Wales 4-1 in their final Pool B match to make it through to the semifinals of the tournament. With this win, the Indians also qualified for the main draw of the World Cup, which will be held in Belgium and the Netherlands later this year.
“The training before the game against Wales didn’t make a difference; it was just PCs (penalty corners). The difference is in the mindset and also the way we started with pressure, something which was a little bit different. So we can put more pressure on the opponents, and our girls feel comfortable with that. It’s also important what the players feel. So that was a big change,” said Marijne.
“Before the match, we knew we had already qualified” – Sjoerd Marijne
Marijne mentioned that he already knew about the qualification since Uruguay had lost 1-3 to Scotland prior to India’s game, and paved the way for the hosts. However, he was quick to point out that winning each game – and eventually the tournament – would be helpful to India since it would mean going to the World Cup purely on merit.
“Of course, they knew that winning meant going first in the pool. I don’t know if all the players knew because I didn’t tell them. Before the match, we knew, of course, we had already qualified [for the main event – the FIH World Cup 2026]. But we didn’t speak about that,” he added.
India take on Italy in the second semifinal of the ongoing qualifiers at the Gachibowli Stadium on Friday, March 13, in a pushback slated for 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time. Earlier in the day, England will meet Scotland in the other semifinal of the tournament.
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