Self-belief helped India beat mighty Australia in quarters, says coach Marijne

The India team bounced back tremendously in the tournament after successive losses and Marijne said that the movie helped psychologically ahead of the must-win pool game against Ireland but did not reveal its name.

“The difference is believing in ourselves and believing in the players’ dreams. Then, it is about going back to reality and focussing on your past. I think that is the main thing and that is what we did,” Marijne said after upsetting World No.2 Australia in the quarter-finals here.

“If you lose, you don’t stop believing and that is what I told the girls. The most important thing is to stay in the moment. I showed them a movie and that movie is about being in the moment. I think that was really helpful. In the match against Ireland, we kept on referring to that movie,” he said.

Marijne, however refused to divulge the name of the movie, stating: “It is mentioned in my book which I have written about my experiences in India during the COVID-19 lockdown.” He said that all he asked the team to do was to aim for the highest.

“In India, you must think big and that is what I said to the girls. If you aim for the highest, for the clouds, you will fall on the highest mountain. If you aim for the mountain, you will fall on the ground,” he explained. “We went for the clouds and I said whatever happens after it doesn’t matter, but that is where we have to aim for.”

The chief coach said that he is a proud man as this achievement holds great significance for women’s hockey in India. “This is our thing and I am there to help, and a medal helps in these things,” the 45-year-old Dutchman said.