Women’s Asian Champions Trophy: Savita Punia and Co. look to revel in rare chance to play at home, with half an eye on Hangzhou redemption | Hockey News

The signboards for the Asian Champions Trophy at the Ranchi railway station are unmissable. A cab driver talks about witnessing a massive reception for the Koreans at the airport a few days back. Closer to the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh AstroTurf Hockey Stadium, the billboards increase in number and size. The gates at the stadium see a heavy security presence with Hockey Jharkhand hoping for a significant turnout, especially with free entry. At a pre-tournament press conference, India captain Savita Punia is bombarded with questions a strong local media presence that she jokes halfway through that she needs a break from answering.
The buzz is palpable. The Indian women’s hockey team have rarely played a tournament at home – it’s been at least more than a decade.
“It’s so exciting to play a tournament in India. And I know how Jharkhand supports hockey, and this is a new challenge for us as a team,” Savita said on Thursday. “I have played domestic tournaments here, I remember playing National Games in 2011, from when I know how big the craze is for hockey here. Very few women’s tournaments have happened in India. So this is a big deal for us.”

While an Asian tournament at the end of the season and post-Asian Games could have been seen as less-than-ideal timing, the recent announcement that the Olympic qualifiers will be held at this venue in January has certainly added more sheen to the event. Chief coach Janneke Schopman, however, wants the team to first enjoy this tournament for what it is.
“For us, as the women’s team, to play a tournament in our own country, in front of a crowd, is something super special. As a player, I think there is nothing more you can ask for,” the former Dutch star said. “Those moments don’t come often and we should just appreciate fully for what it is. We want to show our best here, but yes January is very crucial and we want to get things working right now so that we know what we have to work on for the next two months.”
For a state that has produced multiple Olympians and internationals in the past, it is perhaps surprising that this ACT edition is the first time ever Ranchi hosts India in a multi-nation tournament. Jaipal Singh Munda, Michael Kindo, Silbanus Dungdung, Manohar Topno, Ajit Lakra, Nikki Pradhan, and Salima Tete are the Olympians from the state. Jaipal Singh, in fact, was named the captain of the first-ever Indian team to take part at the Olympics in 1928. A statue of him is at the entrance of the stadium.
“Jharkhand has hockey in its heart, it wasn’t quite right that we never had India play here before,” Bholanath Singh, Secretary General, Hockey India and President, Hockey Jharkhand said, “We have seen during Hockey India League how the crowd can be. There is no doubt that Odisha is a hub for Indian hockey and they have great facilities. But we also want to show that other places can host as well, it is important to spread hockey. We saw really good crowds in Chennai for the men’s event recently and it will be the same for women in Ranchi too.”
Singh also spoke about the reception that Karthi Selvam received at his home ground in Chennai, and expected similar support for Nikki Pradhan, Salima Tete and Sangita Kumari – the three Jharkhand players in India’s squad.
The tournament features six teams: India, defending champions Japan, three-time winners Korea, Asiad gold medalls China, Malaysia, and Thailand. The first four teams are favoured to reach the semifinals but the level amidst them is quite close. India’s defeat against China in the semifinals in Hangzhou was a disappointment and ACT provides India a quick chance to put that behind.
“The biggest learning for me [from Hangzhou] is that we are one of the bigger teams in the world and that it comes with different expectations. We are learning to deal with it. We have to play our own game, regardless of who we play against. Asian Games was a valuable lesson but not with the outcome we wanted so hope we can do better,” Schopman said.Most Read
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“We were all disappointed and then the only thing you can do is pick yourselves up, we did that there and that gave us the bronze medal. We are excited to be playing again.”
Savita added: “Our preparations were good for Asiad too, we understand that the semifinal defeat happened because we didn’t play well, how the opponent played was secondary, but we weren’t happy with our game that day.
Responding to a cheeky question on what she is predicting for the tournament, Schopman said: “I don’t do forecasts, but I will say this, I expect them to work their ass off. I want to see a team that fights, fights, fights. A team that shows their own fans how well we can play hockey.”