Asian Champions Trophy 2018: Post CWG tears, Savita Punia looking to test herself before Asian Games

Two men stood on the sidelines looking to outwit each other in a semi-final that could have been a game-changer for the fortunes of both.

Both men were adept at wielding the hockey stick at the highest level in the past, but it was the girls they mentored who were battling it out on the pitch.

Hockeyroos coach Paul Gaudoin must have felt the shivers for sure as Rani Rampal and her girls kept his strikers at bay for a good 36 minutes before Grace Stewart's aerial shot whistled past Savita Punia in goal, and the referee pointed both arms horizontally towards the center of the field.

The Australians are a side that takes winning very seriously and the failure of the women to win a medal in Rio led to a major shake-up with former international defender Paul Gaudoin being asked to shoulder the responsibility of rekindling lost pride for team and country.

A semi-final loss to India in front of his home crowd would have been unthinkable for the Aussie coach.

For his opposite number in the Indian camp, however, a win would have led to a medal which would have opened the floodgates to a new era for Indian women's hockey.

"Indian hockey is known and branded for it's attacking style and that is how we will play against Australia," Harendra Singh had told us the night before the match.

One goal was hardly sufficient to subdue the Indians and the girls did everything but score in the final quarter.

Aussie goalkeeper Rachael Lynch had not allowed a single shot to get past her leading to the game and ensured that the Indians wouldn't be ones who would tarnish her clean slate.

As the final whistle blew, Gaudoin must have heaved a sigh of relief for sure, knowing that his team had taken a significant step forward towards their road to recovery.

For Harendra Singh and his girls, however, the agony was palpable. Goalkeeper, Savita Punia remembers several players crying after the match.

Post-match discussions centered upon how the Indians could have made it if only they had a referral in hand.

As early as the fourth minute, an unwise appeal against a PC led to India losing their right to refer for the entire match which was hardly a desirable scenario for a high-stakes semi-final.

Stewart's goal had come off a high ball which may have been deemed dangerous had the Indians appealed.

Post the emoting, however, the Indian girls realised the fact that they needed to be proud of the fact that they recovered after a bad start against Wales and were able to draw determination and confidence from their performance, according to Savita.

En route to Gold Coast, in an interview with Sportskeeda, this is what Savita had told us.

"Before going into a match against Australia, New Zealand, England, or any higher-ranked team, we are not overwhelmed at all. We are not apprehensive about what the result will be. We are confident that we can challenge any team, irrespective of their ranking."

Coach Harendra Singh, the Indian squad, and their stellar goalkeeper ensured by their show Down Under that the statements above were not just sound bites but a true reflection of the team's character

Pick up the pieces and start afresh

Post the sweat and the tears, the path had to prepared for the future with a requirement for both physical and mental recovery with Wayne Lombard giving the girls a light workload during the start of the fresh National Camp.

Fashion photographer Vikram Bawa was in the Bangalore camp to conduct a photo shoot for the Indian hockey team which helped to encourage the players.

Most of the Indian players have been together for the last three years and know each other's strengths and weaknesses well, said Savita. The players enjoy a certain camaraderie and have progressed together as a team.

Both Sjoerd and Harendra have made a positive impact

Sjoerd Marijne is back with the Indian girls and Savita feels he shares a good working relationship with Eric Wonink (Analytical Coach), Lombard (Scientific Advisor) and Bharat Chetri (Goalkeeping Coach).

The girls defeated the Belgium Junior Men’s Team with Sjoerd Marijne at the helm last time which did a world of good to their confidence.

Marijne and Singh both believe in attacking hockey as per Savita. She also says that the current Men's Team coach did not alter the structure of the team when he had taken over from the Dutchman late last year.

All set for Asian Champions Trophy

The team is now in Korea and will have a few days of practice on the competition pitch before they play their opening match of the Asian Champion's Trophy on Sunday.

The tournament will be a test for the Indian girls feels Savita and opines that the absence of seniors Rani, Poonam Rani, and Sushila Chanu will not change the goals of the team.

Less than two months from now, the Indian girls will up against the very best, as the World Cup gets underway in the Lee Valley Hockey Center in London.

Soon after, Marijne's team will look to reaffirm their Asian supremacy and book a ticket to Tokyo 2020 by winning gold in the Asian Games.

They could not have asked for a better preparatory tournament as India will need to match their skills against China, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia and will look for inspiration from their phenomenal recent performance at Gold Coast.