New Delhi: There is a quiet confidence surrounding the Indian women’s hockey team these days. Not just because they lifted the FIH Nations Cup in New Zealand, and returned to the FIH Pro League, but because the team believes it has finally found the balance between youth, experience and structure.Captain Salima Tite and rising forward Sunelita Tupou are two faces of this transformation.
For Salima, who took over the team in 2023, leadership has been a journey of growth rather than authority. She admits the role was intimidating at first, especially as she is one of the younger players tasked with leading a team full of experienced international players.“It was difficult at first because I didn’t know how to deal with everything.
I learned by sitting with seniors like Savita, Nikki and others, asking questions, and understanding how to lead. Earlier, I could barely speak. “Now I know that communication is one of the biggest responsibilities of a captain,” Salima said.This openness has helped create a locker room where every player is encouraged to contribute. According to the midfielder, leadership is shared and not imposed.“It’s not that the captain does everything. Every player has responsibility.
“The juniors are also speaking up now, and that’s very important for us.”This culture was evident during India’s Africa Cup of Nations win, as the team displayed composure, resilience and tactical discipline. But Salima insists that the celebrations have already been put aside.“Winning is a nice memory, but now our focus is entirely on the World Cup. We have analyzed our performance, watched videos and identified where we can improve.
“We are only beginning.”India’s preparations are focused on refining fundamentals while building on the physical improvements that have become increasingly evident over the past few years. Salima credited the support staff with raising the team’s fitness standards, saying improvements in agility, strength and recovery helped the players keep up with the speed of international hockey.“If we focus on our strengths, play with confidence and remain consistent, we can achieve good results.
Salima said: “Every player has different quality, speed, skills or passes, and if each player performs his role well, we can compete with the best.”Among those who have benefited from the environment created by the senior players is Sunilita Toppo, whose journey mirrors the meteoric rise of Indian women’s hockey. The young striker, who scored in the Africa Cup of Nations final against New Zealand, said the moment was a reward for countless hours he spent practicing specific match situations.She said, “We prepared for this situation before the match. When I received the ball, I remained calm and carried out what we trained. I am happy that I was able to contribute to the team’s victory.”Sunilita’s rise has never been straightforward. Growing up in Odisha, she started playing hockey with a bamboo stick because her family couldn’t afford proper equipment. Even the first hockey stick she received from the coach was broken.However, those humble beginnings made her appreciate how dramatically the hockey infrastructure has developed in the state.“When I started, we played on clay courts. Now the young players start on the same grass. There are grass courts near my village, so I can keep practicing whenever I go home. It has made a big difference.”She also highlighted the role of senior players in helping young people settle into the national team.“The coaches teach us the system, but the adults explain the situations to us from their own experience. They never make us feel small. They constantly guide us, and that has helped me improve a lot,” said Sunilita.Both players believe that the biggest leap India has made since the Tokyo Olympics has been its understanding of structure and fitness. Although the desire to win has always been there, Sunilita feels the team’s tactical maturity has grown significantly under the current coaching group.With the Hockey World Cup and Asian Games just around the corner, India knows that tougher challenges lie ahead against the global elite. But if the Africa Cup of Nations was a declaration of intent, the conversations within the Indian camp reveal something no less important: a team that stopped measuring itself by previous performances and began to believe that it belonged among the best.The next few months will determine whether this belief can translate into medals. Right now, India is heading into the biggest stage of the cycle, carrying not only momentum but a renewed sense of purpose.