Team India (Pic credit: FIH)
They claimed the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2025 to secure an eighth successive World Cup appearance and also earned a 2-2 draw against India when the two teams last faced off in 2023. South Africa, meanwhile, will not be any pushovers. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines However, given the way India played against China, South Africa will have a tough task on their hands against Salima Tete & Co. What will be interesting to see, though, is how many goals India can score on the day, which could make all the difference in the end. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
In the other game in the group, England, who beat South Africa 4-0, will take on China, and a win would put them through to the next round. With their final group game against England set to be another nail-biter, Sjoerd Marijne’s side will have to make sure they increase their goal count in order to qualify as one of the top two teams from Group D. In the end, it could come down to India and China for the second spot. It was also encouraging to see Deepika find the net from a penalty corner. She has been in fine form since returning from injury, and the goal will do a lot for her confidence.
18 side, India should have a lot less to worry about.
For us, it’s most important to focus on ourselves, focus on our strengths,” said Marijne. “Now we face South Africa, and I have told the girls not to take things lightly. However, speaking after India’s opening encounter, Marijne made it clear that he doesn’t want to get into the permutations and combinations and instead wants his team to focus on winning. “We are not focused on calculations or who is winning against whom. “We created chances (against China). That was something very positive. I think defensively we were very strong. We need to work on double turnovers: winning the ball, keeping the ball. That’s something we can do better. Another area he would want the team to improve on is their finishing. The coach, though, will be pleased with Navneet Kaur’s showing. She weaved through the Chinese defence with remarkable skill and confidence, repeatedly leaving defenders struggling to contain her. Once she had the ball, there was little the opponents could do but watch in awe. If she can produce a similar performance against the world No. South Africa is also a good team…so we need to be ready for that one,” he added.
After a brilliant showing against China in their World Cup opener on Sunday, the Indian women’s hockey team will be hoping to continue their good form and bag a big win against South Africa in their second Group D game on Tuesday to stay in contention for a place in the second round.