Playing short, crisp passes and going around the Dutch players — rather than trying to dodge past them — the Indian women’s team scripted a remarkable comeback to hold the Olympic champions to a 2-2 draw in their final home match of the Pro League on Tuesday.
Later, Savita Punia — who on Monday played her 300th international — stood like a rock in the goal as she helped India win the shoot-outs 2-1 and claim a bonus point.
The Netherlands started the match on the front foot and took the lead in the 17th minute through captain Pien Sanders. Eleven minutes later, Fay van der Elst doubled the visitors’ lead and it looked like the Netherlands would run away with the match.
शानदार-जबरदस्त जीत! 🏑
Congratulations to the #WomenInBlue 🇮🇳 for a stunning shootout victory against the Netherlands 🇳🇱 at the #FIHWomenProLeague.
A proud moment for Indian hockey! pic.twitter.com/2QFUwG0ad4
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) February 25, 2025
However, coach Harendra Singh tweaked the playing style at half-time, urging his players to play short passes. The tactic helped India to eliminate the errors that crept into their game by embarking on long runs and conceding possessions. At the same time, the give-and-go style they adopted underlined the increased levels of fitness of the players.
Deepika produces one of the best goals of the season! 🔥 #FIHProLeague #hockey #India @TheHockeyIndia pic.twitter.com/OwNTR8lGEp
— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) February 25, 2025
Veterans Neha Goyal and Navneet Kaur controlled the game from the midfield while the youngsters stepped up in the attacking third, with Sunelita Toppo setting up Deepika who halved the deficit in the 35th minute. Two minutes before the end of the third quarter, Baljeet Kaur finished a brilliant move initiated from the midfield to level the scores.
Harendra said the performance against the world number 1 side would ‘motivate’ the team that’s rebuilding after failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics. “This gives us a good foundation to build on,” he said. “The team will travel to Australia in April for a test series and a performance like this will give them the confidence to continue doing well.”
