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India women’s hockey coach Janneke Schopman said that the team needs to find their way in pressure situations in the upcoming Asian Games. Ahead of India’s first match against Singapore on September 27, Schopman, also a former Netherlands’ player, said that the Indian team should get into the mindset to playing as ‘favorites’ and not ‘underdogs'.
Schopman put forth her views on the upcoming tournament in the latest episode of Hockey Te Charcha, a podcast series by Hockey India.
“I believe the mindset the players have as an individual and as a team will make the difference. Can we perform under pressure and deal with the circumstances handed over to us? We have talked about this over the past couple of months and what it means to not be the underdogs like we were in Tokyo but being the favourites,” Schopman was quoted as saying.
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The head coach added:
“It is important to enjoy the journey as well. I hope we win; I think we can win but it’s life and we might not. As long as we know we were able to control what we can and we were able to play as well as we can as individuals and as a team, then we have to accept the outcome. This is what we are trying to instil in the girls that we just have to play hockey and find a way to work around the pressure."
Schopman's stint with Indian hockey team
In 2021, India agonisingly missed out on the chance of winning the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics after losing to Great Britain 3-4. Back then, Schopman worked as a support staff in the Indian women’s team under head coach Sjoerd Marijne.
Although India could not make a podium finish, they made sure of putting up their best-ever performance in the Olympics by qualifying for the playoffs. After Sjoerd declined a contract extenstion, Schopman was appointed as the coach of the team.
With the likes of Vandana Katariya and Savita Punia in their ranks, India will fancy their chances of winning a medal in the Asian Games.
