Sjoerd Marijne
India’s 2-2 draw against world No. 4 China in their Hockey World Cup opener was a major positive, especially with 11 players making their tournament debuts, head coach Sjoerd Marijne said on Sunday. India took the lead twice, but China, the 2024 Olympic silver medallists, fought back to earn a point.
Marijne was pleased with the performance but felt India could have won if they had earned a late penalty corner. India had already used their video referral when they appealed for a penalty corner late in the game, leaving them unable to review the decision.
India’s Resilience Shines in Final Quarter
India faced challenges during the third quarter of the match but made a strong comeback in the final period. Coach Marijne expressed satisfaction with the team’s resilience, stating, “The third quarter was not that good but then we came back. The resilience of the team was good and I am happy with that. We did much better in the last quarter.”
Marijne highlighted the contributions of players beyond the star forward Deepika, noting, “Everyone was talking about Deepika during the Nations Cup but Navneet scored equally well and in the World Cup qualifiers too. So it’s not only about Deepika.”