FIH Hockey Pro League: Indian women find joy after tough few weeks, upset World No 3 Australia in an Olympics repeat

Just the mention of India 1-0 Australia is enough for hockey fans to have warm memories. When the women’s team stunned the mighty Hockeyroos at the Tokyo Olympics quarterfinals before – heartbreakingly – finishing fourth, they were the toast of the Indian sporting community. That day also came up a lot recently, in more wistful fashion, as Savita Punia and Co missed their flight to Paris for the 2024 edition.

The result on Saturday night in Rourkela doesn’t change what happened in Ranchi at the Olympic Qualifiers, but India defeated Australia 1-0 once more, winning only for the second time in the ongoing FIH Pro League season. It lifted the spirits in the camp. For almost everyone associated with this team, from players to support staff, the last few weeks were perhaps the toughest in their lives, falling short of the bare minimum that was expected from them. Vandana Katariya’s superbly taken 34th-minute goal and a midfield masterclass from Navneet Kaur helped them defeat one of the Paris medal contenders.

The goal itself came from Vandana and Navneet combining from a Penalty Corner situation, which has often resulted in missed opportunities during this poor run of form. Set piece conversion in Ranchi and so far in the Pro League has been below par but this time around Navneet found Vandana with a hit just wide of goal, and the onrushing veteran put in a signature dive to deflect the ball in. As she stood up and let out a roar, she asked the many thousands at the Birsa Munda Stadium to cheer on and they obliged.

On the sidelines, the usually stern and vociferous Janneke Schopman jumped in joy like a kid in a candy store. The head coach who has been under pressure found an outlet as well.

It also was a reminder of how much India missed Vandana’s touch in front of goal in Ranchi, as the forward missed the tournament due to injury. And in Navneet’s performance, there was another reason to look back and wonder. The midfielder has arguably been India’s best outfield player in the last couple of players, using her wonderful dodging skills and passing abilities to dictate the tempo. But her best form had deserted her in the recent weeks, not for the lack of trying.

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Against the Hockeyroos, she was immense. In a here-there-and-everywhere performance, she set up attacking moves, put in tackles in deep defence, and broke down numerous Australian attacks to earn the Player of the Match trophy. “We really wanted to win this, we put in a lot of hard work to attack Australia from the start,” she said with a smile at the end.

There is a still of rebuilding to do for the Indian women’s hockey team. But on this night, they can sleep well after a job well done.

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