NEW DELHI: The impact of Harendra Singh is evident every time the Indian women's hockey team enters the field. Led by Salima Tete, the group is aggressive, launching occasional counterattacks from the flanks. The approach is comparable to that of the Australian squad. However, given that the India head coach idolizes Ric Charlesworth's methods, who is a legend in Australian sports, this should not be unexpected.

After the Indian women's team's low point of not qualifying for the Paris Olympics, Harendra has been in charge for a year, having vowed a comeback at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by placing fourth. Prior to major trials, a young squad is now gradually getting together as a unit.

"It's obvious from the outside that we are a very good squad. Our team is a bit vulnerable if you start giving the opponent respect, if you play half-court, or if you give them time to play, according to Harendra, who spoke with HT. "But if you start giving respect to the opponent, when you play half-court, when you give them time to play, then our team is a bit vulnerable." We must acquire the art of match management.

Midway through the Pro League season last year, shortly after taking over, Harendra brought the squad to Europe. The magnitude of the challenge he faced was demonstrated by India's loss of all eight games in Antwerp and London in May-June 2024.

India's triumph in the Asian Champions Trophy last November marked the beginning of the team's comeback, which was aided by the 55-year-old. India has won three and lost five of the eight games thus far in the 2024–25 Pro League. India recently toured Australia, where they lost both matches against Australia A and then were defeated 2-1 in the subsequent series by the senior Aussie team.

"The beginning was terrible, but the progress was excellent." Since everyone should play at least 25–35 games before the (2026) World Cup, I tried 3–4 new players. As a result, the new players benefited from these games. Since we were experimenting with various combinations, the first two games didn't bother me. However, we ought to have won the previous two games. The learning curve was excellent, according to Harendra.

To improve the effectiveness of his players' execution of tactics, the coach wants to foster greater initiative.

“The chance to counterstrike occurs if you break the line when the opponent is putting you under pressure. However, the danger is that the opposition is near your D if you lose the ball, which could result in a goal, penalty corner, or goal against you, he said.

India has improved in counterattacks and overall pace of play, but they still fall short in finishing, as seen during the Pro League's India leg and the Australia tour.

"Yes, but that's also because some of the new girls on their first tour went right to the scoring zone. Experience, positioning, first touch, and, most crucially, nerve control are all that matters. You have to make split-second judgments in the D. We are concentrating on that region.

At the same time, it's about players not holding back once they're in the D. "We are now aiming that even if there's a half chance, let's hit the ball rather than wait and pass. We were overly generous in Australia, hitting the ball rather than passing it. We could have scored four goals in the last two games if we had just shot our shots.

The next Pro League leg will be critical. With this nine-team tournament, India may be able to advance to next year's World Cup. Since Belgium and the Netherlands have qualified as hosts and Germany as the champion of the 2023–24 Pro League, the next best team in the league will now qualify rather than waiting to advance from the Asia Cup in September.

"With and without the ball, we are experimenting with some combinations." We are concentrating on pressing and attacking positions, which we experimented with in Australia. It's functioning. Currently, we will employ two or three different variations in the Pro League.

In London, India's women will next compete against Australia in the Pro League on June 14 and 15.

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