India’s 2-2 draw against world No. 4 China in their Hockey World Cup opener was a major positive, especially with 11 players making their tournament debuts, head coach Sjoerd Marijne said on Sunday.India took the lead twice, but China, the 2024 Olympic silver medallists, fought back to earn a point. Marijne was pleased with the performance but felt India could have won if they had earned a late penalty corner.“With 11 debutants in the team, a draw against the world No. number four is very good for the future,” Marijne said after the match.

India Show Resilience Against China

India had already used their video referral when they appealed for a penalty corner late in the game, leaving them unable to review the decision.“We had a clear PC but the referee was at an angle where she couldn’t see it and you really can’t blame her. We really need to learn about the video referrals,” Marijne said.India struggled in the third quarter but responded strongly in the final period.“The third quarter was not that good but then we came back. The resilience of the team was good and I am happy with that. We did much better in the last quarter,” he said.The draw also eased the pressure ahead of India’s remaining Pool D matches.“It is a very important draw. If we had lost this one, the next two would have been must-win matches. Now we don’t have to do much calculations about who is winning against whom and we can focus on our own game,” he said.

Navneet Shines as India Look Ahead

Marijne praised Navneet Kaur, saying her performances showed India have attacking options beyond star drag-flicker Deepika.“Everyone was talking about Deepika during the Nations Cup but Navneet scored equally well and in the World Cup qualifiers too. So it’s not only about Deepika,” Marijne said.Navneet said India had ignored China’s reputation and focused on their own game.“It was a tough match but we did exceptionally well. We were leading twice and we have to do better in maintaining the lead,” she said.India next face South Africa, with captain Salima Tete stressing that the team must maintain its intensity.“We are happy with the one point but we will have to fight in every match and we are geared up for that,” Salima said.