Marijne Targets India’s Return to Top Tier at World Cup

Sjoerd Marijne wants India to focus on performances, pressure management and one match at a time as the team prepares for the Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup 2026. India face a demanding opening group that includes higher-ranked China and England, but their recent Nations Cup success has provided a platform of confidence heading into the tournament.

The squad has changed significantly since the Tokyo Olympics. Of the leadership spine from that campaign — Rani Rampal, Gurjit Kaur, Deep Grace Ekka, Savita Punia and Vandana Katariya — only goalkeeper Savita remains in the World Cup group. Players who were younger members of the Tokyo squad, including Navneet Kaur, Neha Goyal, Nikki Pradhan, Sushila Chanu, Lalremsiami and captain Salima Tete, have stepped into bigger leadership roles.

India’s balance of experienced players and newcomers will be central to their World Cup effort. Savita said the presence of seven or eight senior players can help younger teammates cope with the pressure of a major tournament.

New leaders and World Cup debutants

Midfielder Sakshi Rana is among the players set for a World Cup debut. Marijne has been impressed by her all-round midfield ability, while Sakshi has acknowledged that she is still working through some inhibitions in her game and on-field communication. Navneet has helped guide the young midfielder during recent camps, encouraging her to identify mistakes and structural gaps regardless of whom she is addressing.

Savita has similarly supported Bichu Devi Kharibam, India’s long-time second-choice goalkeeper. Bichu received an extended run of matches earlier in the year while Savita underwent ankle surgery. Savita pointed to Bichu’s performances at the Asia Cup and World Cup qualifiers and said the goalkeeper is ready for the World Cup.

Marijne has rebuilt trust with the group through long training camps at the Sports Authority of India facility in Bengaluru. India will be without striker Sangita Kumari and midfielder Vaishnavi Phalke, both through knee injuries, but the coach believes he has a squad capable of competing.

The preparation has put major emphasis on fitness and penalty corners. Work with Dutch specialist Taeke Taekema helped sharpen that aspect of India’s game, with 13 of the team’s 16 goals in their Nations Cup triumph coming from penalty corners. Deepika Sehrawat scored six of those goals, while Navneet added three.

Marijne has also continued to drill passing, movement and chance-creation patterns as India seek more repeatable routes to field goals. Before the Nations Cup in New Zealand, he said the work extended beyond a single event and covered big-game fundamentals including controlling counterattacks, attacking structures and penalty-corner defence.

China and England provide the early test

Those areas will be tested immediately against China and England in the first group stage. China are described as the leading team in Asia, while England beat India in the World Cup qualifiers final in Hyderabad. Both opponents are ranked above India, adding to the scale of the opening challenge.

Marijne has not set a fixed finishing target, saying the outcome will depend on India’s performances. His first objective is China in the opening match, followed by the aim of reaching the second group. He noted that progressing with two wins and one defeat could still leave India needing results against teams such as the Netherlands and Australia to reach the semifinal.

For India, the immediate task is therefore clear: translate Nations Cup momentum into disciplined performances against stronger opposition. The team enters with a new leadership core, key debutants and a sharpened set-piece game, while Marijne hopes they can again challenge expectations on the biggest stage.