Let the games begin | Indian women's hockey team
With several major competitions lined up, the rest of 2026 looks pegged to be an eventful year for Indian women's hockey
A month since India sealed its spot for the 2026 Women’s Hockey World Cup, captain Salima Tete and vice-captain Navneet Kaur are both elated and relieved. After all, they met one of the targets of Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne, coach of the famous Tokyo 2020 team, who was brought back in January to mould the team for an important year that also has the Asian Games scheduled in September. For the women, having a familiar face back in the dressing room was great. “He had worked with the team for five years, so he was acquainted with our culture, and he was happy to be back as well,” says Kaur.
A month since India sealed its spot for the 2026 Women’s Hockey World Cup, captain Salima Tete and vice-captain Navneet Kaur are both elated and relieved. After all, they met one of the targets of Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne, coach of the famous Tokyo 2020 team, who was brought back in January to mould the team for an important year that also has the Asian Games scheduled in September. For the women, having a familiar face back in the dressing room was great. “He had worked with the team for five years, so he was acquainted with our culture, and he was happy to be back as well,” says Kaur.
One would assume Marijne would be a tad miffed with the missed opportunities in the world cup qualifiers final against England, where the team failed to capitalise on the penalty corners, and also in the semis against Italy, where they scored one goal. Tete acknowledged the mistakes and the scope for improvement, but then again, it is early days in what’s poised to be a busy calendar, with the Nations Cup also lined up. “Each game is important this year,” says Tete, who, at 24, is already a senior member of the squad.
Tete is also a poster child of how far women’s hockey has come. Hailing from Simdega in Jharkand, one of India’s hockey cradles, her story has inspired more tribal girls to pick up the stick. “Simdega hostel is seeing more hockey prospects,” she says. “There’s more support too—monetary compensation, healthy food and better facilities like grounds with astro turf.”
Kaur, too, has seen women’s hockey flourish since the team’s historic showing in Tokyo, where it finished fourth. A diverse squad, with players from Jharkand, Odisha, Haryana, Manipur, Mizoram and more, has created a balance of skill and speed. “Earlier, there wouldn’t be much competition at the state level. Now, there’s not much difference in [playing] levels,” says Kaur. The sport’s appeal has also widened in turn, with the world cup qualifiers seeing a great turnout in Hyderabad.
It’s why Tete and Kaur know that what they do on the field will have a lasting impression. “It’s what our coach says—‘You don’t have to play for yourself but for other girls too’.” 2026, with its big tournaments, will give them an opportunity to script more history.
