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India's women's hockey team moved to two places in the latest team rankings updated by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Tuesday, November 7.
Savita Punia's team regained their personal best-ever ranking of sixth following their success in the Women's Asian Champions Trophy, accumulating 2368.83 points. The last time they were in sixth position in world rankings was in June 2022.
India were unbeaten in the six-team continental tournament. They outplayed Japan 4-0 in the final on November 5 to lift their second Champions Trophy title. This was after the women in blue bagged a bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou last month.
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Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Netherlands continued their supremacy on the top with 3422.40 points. Australia and Argentina are ranked second and third with 2817.73 and 2766.90 points respectively.
Belgium (4th with 2608.77) and Germany (5th with 2573.72) are the other two teams ranked above Savita Punia's side. Appreciating the recent jump in the team rankings, Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey commented:
“I would like to congratulate the team on achieving this ranking. It is a testament to the hard work and sacrifices they have made in their careers so far. The aim is to break into the top three with time and this serves as a good indicator that the team is on the rise.
He further said:
"With Peter Haberl also joining the setup as a mental conditioning coach, I am confident that the team will go from strength to strength and outdo themselves in the near future.”
What's next for Indian women in hockey?
The women's team will next play FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers scheduled to be held from January 13 to 21 next year in Ranchi. The Asian Games bronze medallist will compete with Germany, New Zealand, the United States, Japan, Chile, Italy, and the Czech Republic.
The other leg includes the participation of Belgium, Great Britain, Spain, Korea, Ireland, Canada, Malaysia, and Ukraine in Valencia, Spain. The top three teams from each of the four qualifiers - two men's and women's events each - will qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024.
The Indian men's team have already earned their qualification for the Paris Olympics after clinching gold in the Asian Games in Hangzhou. They beat Japan 5-1 in the final.
