Through most of the virtual press conference, Sharmila Devi had stayed quiet, speaking only when spoken to and keeping her answers brief. Eventually she’s asked to talk about the expectations from the team that will compete at the Junior Women’s World Cup, especially after the senior women’s team came under the spotlight after their unexpected, but well deserved, run to a fourth place at the Olympics last year.
Again, Sharmila keeps it succinct, but the calm smile etched on her face as she speaks is conspicuous.
“We like the expectations,” she said, referring to the attention the team will command from fans.
“We got a good result at the Olympics, now we want to continue it. There is a hope that the team will get good results from this World Cup and our aim is to win this.”
In the background, there’s no mistaking the nodding heads of her teammates Lalremsiami, team captain Salima Tete and vice-captain Ishika Choudhary, as they agree with the target Sharmila revealed. To win the Junior World Cup that starts on April 1.
Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2022: India’s squad, schedule, past winners, event format and more
There’s an air of confidence this young team exudes. And it all stems from that run in Tokyo.
The women’s team was Indian hockey’s afterthought before they travelled to the 2020 Games. Sure, they had done well to qualify for Rio 2016 – their first Olympic campaign since Moscow 1980. But there was no real sense of expectation from the team in Japan.
And then they made it past the group stage, then beat the mighty Australia, and came within touching distance of an Olympic medal hardly anybody outside the team would have believed they could win. Now the dynamics have changed, and that belief has rubbed off on the younger guard.
Lalremsiami, Tete and Sharmila were key figures in the team in Tokyo and are the most experienced players in the junior team competing in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
“I’ve been with the seniors for a long time, now I’m in the junior team. It feels nice to be a part of this side. I know my role in the team and I want to help my teammates,” said Lalremsiami, who has played 83 times for the senior team and scored 25 goals.
“I’ve had a lot of experience from the seniors, and some of the players in the junior team don’t have much experience (of playing internationally). That’s the role I have to take up, to guide them and show them how to play under pressure, when to attack, when to defend.”
But there aren’t too many players who lack experience. Including the trio that went to Tokyo, eight of the 20-player squad for the World Cup have featured for the senior team in international matches. Lalremsiami, Tete (48 caps, 1 goal), Sharmila (28 caps, 7 goals) and Chaudhary (8 caps) are the most experienced.
Having played with each other, across age categories, for a long time has helped.
“There is confidence because there are a lot of players who have played in the senior team, and there’s been plenty of support even for the players who’ve just started in the seniors. There is an understanding in the team since we’ve all played together,” Chaudhary said.
Playing together in the seniors is one thing, playing against the seniors was perhaps their most important form of preparation. The senior team had assembled in Bhubaneswar for the FIH Pro League, and that gave the younger guard the opportunity to play a few practice matches.
“We played a few times against the senior team. It was a good fight and it was good preparation,” Tete said.
“It was a very good opportunity and we took advantage of it to motivate the team. The senior team coach (Janneke Schopman) has also been helping out, they all want us to do well in the World Cup.
“We wanted to figure out how to handle the speed. Earlier we didn’t know when to go up, when to hold the ball, when to rotate. Playing with the seniors we managed to learn that.”
Playing with and against the seniors did provide a glimpse into a future in the sport. It’s the next natural progression in the life of an athlete – forging a career in the senior stream. But that doesn’t mean the team of 20 aren’t looking to finish their junior careers on a high.
“This is the last time we’re playing in the juniors – for Sharmila, Ishika, Salima… So, we want to win this to make sure it’s a memorable tournament, our last at this level. That’s our mindset,” Lalremsiami added.
“We’ve played a lot in the seniors, but now we have to guide the juniors who haven’t played many major tournaments. We have to take the responsibility to guide and support the juniors.”
The 15-team competition sees the Indians needing to progress through the four-team group before they can make it to the quarterfinals. Their tournament starts on Saturday, with the opening match against Wales, followed by the clash against Germany a day later, and then Malaysia on April 5.
They also managed to squeeze in two practice matches against the Netherlands and England while in South Africa – both ended in draws.
The atmosphere in the team is upbeat. They need just look back to the 2013 edition, in which India won the bronze, to know that it provided the likes of, but not limited to, Rani Rampal and Vandana Katariya a platform to push into the higher echelons of the sport.
The women’s team experienced those highs last year in Tokyo. Now the ‘next gen’ hopes to emulate.
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