Women’s Hockey WC: India aims for a first

TERRASSA (Spain): The creme de la creme of women’s hockey will be in action when the top-16 teams of the globe fight for the coveted FIH World Cup crown, with record eight-time winner Netherlands eyeing a hat-trick of titles and India aiming for a first.

Defending champion Netherlands, which will co-host the tournament along with Spain from July 1 to 17, is the most dominant team in women’s hockey, having won the world title eight times while finishing runner-up on four occasions.

Even though India’s best performance in the tournament is a fourth-place finish at the inaugural edition in 1974, the team will be no pushover in this edition. India, which is part of Pool B alongside China, England and New Zealand, has been on the rise after achieving a fourth-place finish in last year’s Tokyo Olympics.

The India team achieved its best-ever position – sixth – in the world rankings in May. It gave some top teams a run for their money in the Pro League to finish on the podium ahead of sides like Argentina, Australia and England.

And, the Janneke Schopman-coached India team would dream of registering its name in the record books by finishing in the top-four, which is not impossible. India will start its campaign against England on Sunday.