Sjoerd Marijne did what no other coach had done before.
The Dutchman took the Indian women's hockey team to the semifinals of the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021. In the end they didn't win a medal but the unprecedented success made the world of hockey take notice of them and it has given them the much-needed impetus to perform at the biggest stage.
And now as the team prepares to take part in the World Cup to be held in Spain and the Netherlands starting Friday, the former India women's coach is curious to see how they perform on the big stage.
The Dutchman, who has been replaced by Janneke Schopman - also from the Netherlands - post Olympics, was there as a commentator when the team played in the Pro League recently and he was more than happy with what he saw.
"I saw a team with confidence. Especially in the matches against Argentina they did really well. They created things and that's a good step forward. They were active around the ball and they were not rushed as before. Schopman has also helped them develop their game by being more dominant," said Marijne during a virtual interview with TOI.
"They have a lot of energy and their fitness is good. Also, since many young girls like Salima Tete, Sharmila Devi and Lalremsiami have experienced big tournaments they are becoming better with every match."
While the team's recent performance has impressed the former coach, Marijne believes their group games won't be easy. India are in Pool B with England, New Zealand and China and they play their first game against England on Sunday.
"The match against New Zealand will be difficult. They didn't play any matches overseas after the Olympics so I don't think there's any footage available of them from last year. China has a new coach and she has been developing the team. They are a structured team and it won't be easy playing against them. England are different from Great Britain and that will also be a very difficult game," said Marijne.
Asked if Rani Rampal's absence will play a major role in the team's performance, he said, "Rani is a great player and she will always have an effect on the team. But even earlier we had played tournaments without her so the girls know how to cope with it. It's also good for the other players to take the responsibility."
Marijne, who also coached the Indian men's team for a few months before taking on the job of coaching the Indian women's team, meanwhile, singled out the Netherlands as the clear favourites to win the tournament for the third year in a row.
"The Netherlands are big favourites. Belgium are also coming up and they are doing really well. They are fifth on the world rankings and everybody will have to watch out for them. We don't know how Australia will play and finally I'm curious to see how India will do considering the experience they have after the Olympics," he added.
Not only Marijne but the entire country will be waiting to see how the Indian team performs at the World Cup. After all, it's only the eighth time in history that the Indian women's hockey team has qualified for the big event and the expectations are sky high after their achievement in Tokyo.
