Asian Games: PCs Prove Achilles Heel Of Indian Women's Hockey Team Once Again

Deep Grace EKKA:  As the Indian women's hockey team returns home from the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou with a bronze medal in its kitty, penalty corner conversion has once again emerged as its Achilles heel.

The team not only failed to convert a large number of Penalty corners it earned, but it also conceded quite a few goals via PCs.

In six matches it has played in the Asian Games, India earned 69 penalty corners and could manage to convert 16 of them, for a success rate of 23.18 percent.

In all, India scored 35 goals in six matches it played in Hangzhou --17 field goals, 16 via PCs and two PS. In comparison, eventual gold medallists China earned 77 PCs and converted 20 of them for a marginally better success rate of around 26 per cent.

For India, the problem was exacerbated in the semifinal against hosts China when it earned six PCs but could not convert any. In the bronze medal match against Japan, India earned 11 penalty corners bout score off only one.

The India women's team's chief coach Janneke Schopman admitted penalty corner conversion was a concern but said the Indians' success was not far off international standard in women's hockey.

"Often we missed the penalty corners but we discussed those things a lot. That's what I was really unhappy with in the China game. Because we can miss-trap but we have a plan for that. We weren't executing that plan in the China game. But I think Deepika (IND) is a promising drag-flicker.

"She has only recently started to drag flick for our team and I think she will develop a really good drag flick. Deep Grace EKKA has taken ownership of taking the penalty corners," Schopman said after the team's campaign on Saturday.

"If you look at women's hockey, there are very few teams that get a percentage of 30 per cent or higher. What I'm aiming to get is 20-25 per cent," she said.

The Dutch coach said defending penalty corners is becoming a lot more dangerous now.

"Teams defend in a way that is dangerous for them. I've said that in the past too. We have defenders just sitting on the stroke spot, wanting to get hit. And now umpires are calling that out.

"They're too far from the ball. So, it should be a stroke or it should be another penalty corner. And I'm talking to the umpire managers and saying, 'We think it's dangerous"

"That's what some countries are doing. I don't because I'm not going to ask my players to be put in danger," she said.

"You saw it today. Japan just broke the goal. They don't care if it hits their foot or their body and that's their good right. But it's really hard to score.

"Luckily for women, we don't hit as hard as men. Otherwise, I think there would be serious injuries," she added.

While PCs were one area, several other parts of the game need to be ironed out.

However, the coach does not have a lot of time as India will be participating in the Asian Champions Trophy late this month.

The Indian women's hockey team had turned up at the 19th Asian Games with high hopes of winning the gold medal and claiming a berth in next year's Olympic Games in Paris.

However, the players' dreams were not realised and they had to return home with a bronze medal -- a downgrade on the silver they won in the 2018 edition in Indonesia.

With the Olympic Qualifiers up front, the challenge for the Indian players and coaching staff is to iron out the creases and prepare for the qualifiers. That would be a good challenge for the Indian women's team.