Captain Salima Tete, Sunelita Toppo epitomize India’s growing faith ahead of Women’s Hockey World Cup

NEW DELHI: There is a quiet confidence surrounding the Indian women’s hockey team these days. This is not just because they lifted the FIH Nations Cup in New Zealand and earned promotion back to the FIH Pro League, but because the team believes they have finally found the balance between youth, experience and structure.Captain Salima Tete and rising striker Sunelita Toppo are two faces of this transformation. For Salima, who took over as captain in 2023, leadership was more about growth than authority. She admits the role was intimidating at first, especially as one of the younger players tasked with leading a team full of experienced internationals.“In the beginning it was difficult because I didn’t know how to manage everything. I learned by sitting with seniors like Savita, Nikki and others, asking questions and understanding how to lead. I hardly spoke before. Now I know that communication is one of the biggest responsibilities of a captain,” said Salima.That openness has helped create a locker room where every player is encouraged to contribute. According to the midfielder, leadership is shared rather than imposed.“It’s not that the captain does everything. Every player takes responsibility. Now the juniors are also speaking up and that’s very important for us.”This culture was evident during the Nations Cup triumph in India where the team showed poise, resilience and tactical discipline. But Salima insists that the celebrations have already been postponed.“The victory is a beautiful memory, but now we are fully focused on the World Cup. We have analyzed our performances, watched videos and found out where we can improve. We are just getting started.”India’s preparations are focused on improving the fundamentals while building on the physical improvements that have become increasingly visible over the past few years. Salima credited the support staff for raising the team’s fitness standards and said improvements in agility, strength and recovery helped the players reach the speed of international hockey.“If we focus on our strengths, play with confidence and stay consistent, we can achieve good results. Every player has a different quality, speed, skill or passing, and if everyone plays their role well, we can compete with the best,” Salima said.Among those benefiting from the environment created by the senior players is Sunelita Toppo, whose journey mirrors the rapid rise of Indian women’s hockey. The young forward, who scored in the Nations Cup final against New Zealand, said the moment was the reward for countless hours spent practicing specific match situations.“We prepared for this situation before the match. When the ball came to me, I remained calm and fulfilled what we had practiced. I am happy that I could contribute to the team’s victory,” she said.Sunelita’s rise has been anything but straightforward. Growing up in Odisha, she started playing hockey with a bamboo stick because her family couldn’t afford proper equipment. Even the first hockey stick she got from her coach was broken.However, these humble beginnings make her appreciate how dramatically hockey infrastructure has evolved in the state.“When I started, we played on muddy pitches. Now the young players start on grass alone. The pitches are also near my village, so I can continue training whenever I get home. It has made a huge difference.”She also highlighted the role of older players in helping youngsters settle into the national environment.“The coaches teach us the system, but the seniors explain the situations from their own experience. They never make us feel like juniors. They constantly guide us and that has helped me improve a lot,” Sunelita said.Both players believe India’s biggest leap since the Tokyo Olympics has been understanding structure and fitness. While the hunger to win has always been there, Sunelita feels that the team’s tactical maturity has grown significantly under the current coaching group.With the Hockey World Cup and Asian Games around the corner, India knows that tougher challenges lie ahead against the world’s elite. But if the Nations Cup was a statement of intent, the conversations in the Indian camp reveal something equally important, a team that has stopped measuring itself by past performances and started believing it is among the very best.The next few months will determine whether that belief can translate into medals. For now, India is heading into the biggest phase of the cycle, which carries not only momentum but also a renewed sense of purpose.