The Indian women’s hockey team continues the Bhubaneswar leg of their FIH Pro League campaign by taking on Spain at 5:15 PM on February, 18. The opening two games through up plenty of questions for Harendra Singh’s side, who will hope for a return to winning ways.
India won their Pro League opener against England by a 3-2 scoreline, which saw Vaishnavi Phalke and Deepika score from penalty corners, which was a problem area for the team. However, that positivity disappeared in the second game, as India were unable to convert any of their penalty corners. The second game against England finished 2-2 after regulation time and India’s woe was compounded further by a 1-2 shootout loss, denying them a bonus point.
The results have seen India rise to eighth place in the standings (although they have played the fewest games of the nine teams so far) with four points from two games. Their opponents, Spain, have climbed to fourth in the standings with eight points from six games. Six of those points have come from their last two games in Bhubaneswar, with Spain defeating Germany with identical scorelines in both games (2-1). Spain have been entirely reliant on field goals for those wins, and even had trouble earning PCs (three across both games) and converting none.
While India’s PC conversion has been mixed so far, their defence might be worrying, especially after sitting off and coming under pressure against England. In addition, the problems with conversion in shootouts might see the team miss out on crucial bonus points that will be key in any march up the standings. With another six games to go in the Bhubaneswar leg, two each against Spain, Germany and Netherlands, India have the chance to make home support count and climb up the standings.
India captain Salima Tete looked ahead to the match against Spain, saying, “We’re really looking forward to our games against Spain. They’re a tricky team, and we know it’s going to be a challenging contest. However, our team is ready for the challenge. We’ve analysed our performances against England and identified the areas where we need to improve, especially in converting penalty corners. We are focused on tightening our defense and making the most of our scoring opportunities.”
“These games are crucial for us to gain momentum, and we are determined to return to winning ways. The team is motivated, and we will give our best to secure vital points,” she added.
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