There is a goal on YouTube from the German captain Nike Lorenz, in a FIH Pro League game against South Korea, which leaves you spellbound. While taking the penalty corner, Germany completely outmanoeuvre their opponents a couple of times with variations before the skipper comes from virtually nowhere to score a goal.
The way the drag-flicker and the German side combined to score that goal against a hapless opposition just provides an indicator of how the European team went about their training at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, ahead of the Women’s Hockey Olympic Qualifiers for Paris 2024.
It was around noon on Friday and the cold finally gave way to some sunshine. The German team showcased enough variations that might help them outfox the opponents in their group. Who knows? Perhaps, they have a trump card up their sleeve, which they still haven’t exhibited in practice.
What about the home side, then? The Indian team went for an optional session and it was mostly about goalkeeping. Bichu Devi Kharibam and Savita Punia, the skipper, were receiving tips from Janneke Schopman, the India head coach. At present, India’s issues perhaps lie somewhere else. With Vandana Katariya, the experienced forward being ruled out due to an injury, it could affect the set pieces.
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The Indian think-tank would be trusting Sangita Kumari and Salima Tete, who aggregated 11 goals between them in the Asian Champions Trophy last year, to continue their good form. With Deep Grace Ekka and Gurjit Kaur not being in the mix, India would have to depend on the young Deepika to crack the goals via penalty corners. Udita Duhan might offer some support.
There were a few other teams that gave a virtuoso exhibition of hockey on the astroturf. One of them was New Zealand. The experienced New Zealand team, co-captained by Olivia Merry and Megan Hull, didn’t just take penalty corners or work on their defence but also tried to innovate. They brought the field hockey net further up. Perhaps, the intention was to play some fast-paced hockey. No wonder, the intra-squad game turned out to be some kind of a spectacle.
As Samantha Child, arguably New Zealand’s most decorated player, told RevSportz, “We had our final preparations today. Some nice training. We worked on some specific stuff that we will do against both Italy and India.” Japan also spent long hours at the stadium. The Asian side seemed intent on defending. They were also trying out a couple of first-line rushers.
For a sports connoisseur, it was a thrilling experience to watch the training methods of different national sides. Ultimately, it comes down to who among the eight teams would implement the plans just a bit better than the others. The qualifiers will begin with Germany taking on Chile in Pool A at noon today. That game will be followed by Japan going up against the Czech Republic. In the other group, the New Zealand-Italy match is slated at 5 PM. The home side will wrap up the proceedings for the day by playing against the USA at 7.30 PM.
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