Indian Women’s Hockey Team: The Missed Bus To Paris Is Only Half The Story

A single goal can prompt massive role reversals in Indian hockey. In January this year, the Indian women’s hockey team missed its berth at the Paris Olympics after losing 0-1 to Japan in the bronze medal match at the Olympic qualifier held in Ranchi.

The team had the home advantage but could not convert the opportunity even in the early stages of the tournament, when it lost to the United States (US) team, which was being coached by Harendra Singh.

Singh told this writer that in Ranchi, before the tournament began, he conveyed a message to a person who should have received the information. What was the message he sent? It was: “Is team ko halke mein mat lena (do not take the US team lightly).”

India lost that match to the US in the run-up to a disastrous campaign in the qualifier. Singh’s side, the US team, made it to the final to play Germany.

He explains why he saw that coming: “They (the US team) were really hungry to be part of the Paris Olympics. I have been a coach several times at qualifiers, and I am aware that no matter how much you talk (motivational) to the players, the pressure is always there (in the qualifier stages). No matter where the player is from, she carries the dream of being part of the beautiful journey of the Olympics. If any team misses the slot, there is always a very thin line. The team felt it.”

The Indian squad was supposed to leap up in the top three out of the eight teams in the fray in the qualifier matches held in Ranchi. They missed the podium narrowly, losing 0-1 to Japan.

In Tokyo, the squad showed how it can press the favourites. In Ranchi, the squad displayed how easily it crumbled under pressure.

Singh was coaching the winning team, but he was still shaken by India’s inability to scrape through the qualifier. “Andar se bahut dukhi tha main (I was very sad from within),” he says.

Though Singh did not say it, India’s campaign at the 2024 Olympic qualifier indicates that the Indian side differed in possessing the hunger to reach Paris. Perhaps they even lacked the fitness, strength, and nerves required to put the hunger to reach Paris to use.

At one point, Singh feared that the Indian squad may not bounce back after losing the first match. He said, “It is seen that they rarely bounce back when they lose the first match. But they did. However, against Germany, India were in the lead initially and lagged in the shootout. It was that day when thoughts came to my mind if I should go back. My daughter would tell me that my biggest mistake was to leave the women’s team assignment in 2018.”

Singh, a Dronacharya awardee, is also known for playing a significant role in shaping the men's squad that won the bronze and the women's squad that reached the semifinal in Tokyo Olympics 2020 (2021). He has led the Indian team to 11 golds during solid decades of his coaching career.

He looks at himself as “mentor, coach, father-figure, mother-figure, girl friend”. The role he doesn’t mention, perhaps out of humility, is “guru". When his heart melts into tears over the squads’ high moments, he reveals the Bihari patriarch he is. 

Lessons From Defeat

Singh was re-appointed as chief coach of the women’s hockey team and returned to India. He told this writer: “If for a moment I step back and wonder that in the event of the team qualifying for Paris, would Harendra Singh be in his country today? The answer would be no. The good part is that I have two years to prepare this team. Two years for any coach to prepare the team... Asian Games and the World Cup (2026)... Preparations have begun from ground zero from 1 July.”

Defeat is a launchpad for lessons. Here are lessons that Singh has drawn from the team’s recent performance.

Lesson 1: “If you are not fit, you cannot compete with the top teams in the world. I think it wasn’t just me who felt so. After the London leg, we had a comprehensive conversation, and the good thing is that players are aware of their own shortcomings and they are aware of what they have to work on.”

Lesson 2: Lack of work on fitness and strength will continue to give the same dismal results. “Everyone has accepted the fact that we have to work on fitness and strength. Agar hum us par kaam nahin karenge to result yahi aata rahega (if we don't work on it, then we'll get this same result repeatedly).”

Lesson 3: Knowing the importance of targets and periodisation and using it. “We chalked out a plan on how to work on these aspects in different phases. We concluded that we are there, but we are not there for 60 minutes. We are there for one quarter or two quarters. If you have to win the game, you have to have fitness at the optimum level where the 60 minutes are a threat for the opponent. For that, you need strength, power, and speed.”

The 'Harendrian' Way Of Transformation

In sports, his focus on transformation often emphasises life aspects. His approach to training involves applying transformation principles to team discipline, skill, and unity.

Whenever Singh has seen the lowest of lows, he springs back, or propels those collaborating with him, to create beginnings that eventually recreate history, both in men’s and women’s hockey.

Even though the Indian women’s squad did not make it to Paris, the players were deeply moved by the campaign put up by the men’s hockey team in their progression to the podium. 

In July, Singh's ground zero resembled a combat zone. Members of the women's team slipped into a different uniform and found themselves learning to survive a strenuous and rigorous regime. 

For a team that's seen crumbling under pressure, a naval drill popped up as an inspiration in a new and dynamic environment, and the team completed a training session at the Indian Naval Academy (INA) in Kannur, Kerala. 

For synchronisation of efforts and addressing adaptability, the squad went for boat pulling at the training at INA.

Obstacle races, endurance runs, five-metre jumps, unarmed combat training, and lectures from naval officers introduced the team to stories of determination and courage and presented a new mould for the mind.

In a statement released by Hockey India, INA Deputy Commandant Rear Admiral Prakash Gopalan was quoted as saying: “This training camp was designed to provide them with a holistic development experience, focussing on mental toughness, discipline, and leadership.

In Tokyo 2020 (2021), securing the fourth place was seen as an emotional breakthrough in performance. The girls fought valiantly and rattled the top-seed Australians in Tokyo.

For a squad that finished last in its campaign in Rio 2016, winning the quarterfinal in Tokyo seemed as beautiful as that weighty tackle struck on a freshly watered turf that sends streaks of droplets flying in the air, making the move look heroic in effect.

Failing to reach Paris (2024) broke the momentum in the Olympic context. It also reminded this writer of the men’s team’s Santiago moment when they failed to qualify for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Singh believes in the Indic sense of discipline. He doesn’t believe in looking at the past. He is capable of meticulously building surprises, not throwing them from his sleeve, magically. He likes disruption because he can put his finger exactly on the spot where discipline is missing.

The squad's performance in the recent FIH Pro League has been underwhelming. It won just two matches in the 16 played and was defeated 13 times.

In the Pro League matches held in Antwerp, the two giants, Argentina (World No 2) and Belgium (World No 3), defeated India. In the London leg, both Germany and Great Britain compelled India to return to the drawing board.

The Road To A Strengthened Squad

The Indian women’s hockey team is currently ranked ninth (2,187.61 points). The Netherlands, Argentina, and Belgium are the top three in the order. Between Germany — ranked fourth — and India are Australia, China, England, and Spain. Asian teams — China, Japan, and South Korea — have stunned the Indian side consistently.

From here, Singh’s goal is channelling efforts to make the squad secure a direct ticket to Los Angeles (2028 Olympics). To achieve this, Singh is focussing on winning major world tournaments within the next two years.

Two years for preparation: identifying, correcting, and refining every detail to make the gap between qualifiers and non-qualifiers virtually disappear.

Popular perceptions relate strength and fitness with the age of the players. Many coaches go with the dictum of building a young squad. Singh’s vision is going for a balance.

“The squad should be a mixture of young and experienced. Aur experience khelne se aata hai (And experience comes from playing). The ones representing the top fitness criteria should be there. Of course, for the mind towards Los Angeles 2028, one has to work on the second line as well. And for that, five-six trainees from the junior camp are training with us.”

Singh seems confident regarding his eye for potential.

“If we work with them (trainees from the junior camp) from six months to one year, they should be ready to take to the bigger events. We have introduced 15-20 girls who we think have great talent. However, they have to work more when it comes to decision-making, strength, mental and physical, and power. They have the capacity to be champions.”

Lessons From The Medal Tally-Toppers

It becomes important to know what lessons Singh is carrying with him to ground zero. For that, Singh’s perception of his recent experiences in the US counts a lot. The US is ranked way behind India in women’s hockey. But they are the tally-toppers at the Olympics — for decades. They surely are doing things right. 

This writer asked Singh about what he has learnt from his assignment in the US as coach of the US women’s hockey team. “It is a great question. So far, whether on an Indian assignment or the FIH, there was a limited environment.

When I was under the USA hockey assignment, USA Olympic Committee, they have a huge influence — planning, documentation, and help for the athlete. These aspects are inherent to progress. By default, the head coach is a member of meetings on a weekly basis.

The Olympic committee plays a huge role in defining the success of the contingent at the Olympic Games and shaping the contingent as a leader in the medal tally.”

Documentation in sports can seem burdensome and obstructive to coaching and player communication. Singh shares valuable insights from his US assignment:

One: It is about the holistic development of the athlete. 

Two: The engagement is not limited to that particular sport alone. 

Three: Coaches are encouraged to look into other sports, imparting insights into other sports, merging the knowledge derived from other disciplines, and sharing that knowledge for benefits. 

Four: That sharing is done through documents and documentation. It is done through presentation, the sharing of insights on psychology, physiology, nutrition, biomechanics, etc. 

Five: Each and every aspect works under a department. You ask for it, you will get it. 

Six: Strong research and development (R&D). The R&D is shared with coaches. Benefits are shared and are open for use.

Singh adds, “My US assignment was eye-opening. They are on the top in Olympics and Para Olympics. Kuchh to hat kar karte hain (they do something different).” 

Doing something different makes all the difference sometimes. Singh has a grip on pulling the “different” out of where it belongs.

As India's women's hockey team prepares for the Harendra challenge, they must seize the opportunity to make history. Salima Tete should set aside emotional setbacks, and spectators should focus less on romanticising past struggles. The national camp and time are on their side.

Harendra Singh, the global Indic coach with the Indic mind and his sense of discipline, is their present. It’s time for silent combat to 2028.