Indian Women's Hockey Team secures 2026 World Cup spot: Inside their journey and camaraderie

What do the days leading up to a major hockey tournament look like for the Women in Blue? Are they filled with intense sessions of practice between the goal posts with calls of ‘pass’ and ‘shoot’ being heard across the expanse of the 100 X 60 yard pitch? As it turns out, there’s so much more! Our recent visit to the Sports Authority of India, Bengaluru, ahead of the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifier (HWCQ), showed us an entirely different side of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team — the squad had a brilliant run right up to the finals of the tournament that resulted in them securing a place in the 2026 Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup and a silver medal in the tournament that concluded mere days ago.

The players sported smiles, cheers and poses for our camera and the photoshoot revealed a jovial side of the team, composing a mixture of seasoned, experienced Olympians alongside hungry youngsters whose ambitious outlook for the future fuels their preparation. Captain and Arjuna awardee and key figure in the historic 4th place finish at Tokyo Olympics 2020, Salima Tete; Navneet Kaur, another player to represent India during their Tokyo Olympics 2020 campaign, a force to be reckoned with after being adjudged the Player of the Tournament in the recently concluded season of the Hockey India League (HIL) as well as the HWCQ; Lalremsiami Hmar Zote, affectionately called Siami by her teammates and part of the 2020 Indian Olympic contingent; Sunelita Toppo, the rising star from HIL’s 2025-26 edition and the player to score the opening goal for the Indian squad in the HWCQ; Baljeet Kaur, the young speedy playmaker from Punjab; Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, the clutch player for the Indian side who always delivers under pressure; and Sakshi Rana, the fast paced youngster who charged India towards a lead against Wales with her whipped reverse hit — we caught up with these incredible women from the team for our Indulge cover right before their dominating 4-0 win against the formidable Uruguay in their opening HWCQ match.

Baljeet KaurFor these incredibly dedicated athletes, coming to a camp like this is not just about the drills, tactical meetings and practice matches; it is quite similar to a homecoming. With gruelling schedules in the professional league concluding and off-seasons keeping them out of games, this camp has helped bring about a sharper perspective towards their shared goal, while also keeping the atmosphere as light as possible. “When we come to the camp, everyone is very excited. We get to meet each other after a long break. We keep an upcoming tournament in mind and along with that, everyone is excited for that tournament and the preparations we have to do for it,” Siami begins. But for Captain Salima, enjoying is part and parcel of the game that helps create and develop relationships. “Whether we are going out somewhere or playing a game together, it’s all about building that strong bond. Since we are a team sport, having a solid connection is essential and we do that by playing football as well. That’s why when we go to parties, we dance and play fun games. We have some great dancers like Sunelita, Navneet, Siami and Neha — everyone joins in and tries their best. Having that element of fun within the team is very important,” she reveals.

This chemistry isn’t just for name sake. It presents itself vividly on the field — a notion that all the athletes agree to — as reflected in their strong nods and scattered laughter after the captain presents her observations. What furthers this chemistry among them is also their ability to view themselves as opponents to create a healthy but fierce rivalry, as witnessed during the entirety of the Women’s HIL seasons. With Navneet being the trailblazer talent of the recently concluded edition, we’re sure the players were happy having her on their side for the HWCQ, where she smashed four goals in total, including a hat-trick against Wales. The star of the league who dons the India blue alongside her opponents from the tournament shares that it is indeed a helpful platform for the players.

She further notes that it prepares players, especially the newcomers and youngsters, showing them a framework of how to play hockey at an international level. Navneet breaks this thought process down further, giving us a glimpse into the mind of a champion. “Something that we as senior players have experienced in past qualifier rounds and something that we tell young players (alongside the coaches) also, is that the preparation of tournaments should be match by match. If we plan and prepare for the entire tournament way ahead, more often than not, those plans do not work out,” she explains.

This alchemy of the camp is undeniably infused with a diverse energy from the Gen-Z members of the team. As reflected in the suggestions to each other for celebratory poses, stances for the camera and hyping each other up during their individual shots — we witnessed how radical honesty and constructive growth contribute to the strength building of this team filled seasoned veterans and ambitious souls. Sunelita, the emerging star of this year’s HIL and among the top scorers of the tournament, is not that far behind. As a key player during this HWCQ, she stands as the voice of the newer generation in the team, providing insight into the sisterhood that these women share. “When new players join, their confidence levels aren’t always that high. But since we’ve moved up to the senior level, we have to focus on the strengths that got us selected in the first place. During our practice sessions, the ‘didis’ (seniors) don’t just focus on our current strengths; they give us feedback on what we can do better. They’ll say: this part of your game is good, but you can improve in this area. As a player, getting that kind of feedback is a great way to keep improving,” Sunelita highlights.

While keeping their strict fitness levels requires a particular diet and focused exercise is a prerequisite for these players, we do learn some of their favourite dishes for cheat day. For Vaishnavi, it is her favourite Maharashtrian Puran Poli and Kachchi Dabeli. For Sakshi, it is the homemade Dal Bati Choorma. For Navneet, the Sunday Parathas at the camp are an escape and the closest thing to what she can remember from the flavours of her household’s kitchen, while an occasional pizza also brings it home for her! Baljeet’s heart is always full of a ‘Paranthe’ and a healthy serving of a Sarson Da Saag. For captain Salima, any kind of Biryani satisfies the soul. But the ultimate foodie of the group is Siami, who explores the food of every region she visits with great enthusiasm and passion!

With cricket still ruling the broadcasting numbers and dominating the mainstream and digital media narratives, these women are not just making a name for themselves but also uplifting hockey with their individual laurels and incredible, larger-than-life stories. As we explored their friendship and sisterhood, here’s what they wanted to tell the next generation of women who find a hockey stick in their hands and are looking to make it big in the field.

“If any young player truly wants to come into sports — and it doesn’t need to be only hockey — to them we say this: if you truly want to play, then you will have to do hard work for that. Also, you cannot expect that you will get the result within one year, because your efforts will be required continuously in sport. For any young girl coming into sport, you get a different level of confidence from it. We did not study that much as we did not get that much time, but we have learned a lot from sport itself. You can live a good life in sport,” Navneet says, adding-in her advice to Gen Z, “in today’s times, for the Gen Z generation, to go into that hard-working area, I think sport is the best option. This helps you in staying fit and gets you a good place where you can prove yourself.” Here’s to the new women in blue!

The 2026 Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup will begin on August 15.

Email: pranav.shriram@newindianexpress.com

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