Indian women's hockey team head coach Sjoerd Marijne says the squad is on the right track ahead of next month's FIH Women's World Cup, with preparations focused on fitness, tactics, mental strength and sharper finishing. Buoyed by the Nations Cup triumph, he stressed teamwork, defensive discipline and converting limited chances as India targets a top-two finish in the group stage.

Mumbai: The man behind taking the Indian women's hockey team mighty close to winning an Olympic medal in 2021 at the Tokyo Games is now focused on the FIH Hockey Women's World Cup next month in Belgium and Netherlands.

Indian women's hockey team head coach Sjoerd Marijne believes the squad is on the right track ahead of next month's FIH Hockey Women's World Cup, with fitness, tactical discipline and improved finishing forming the core of the team's preparations.

In an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal ahead of the event, Marijne said the players have responded well to an intense training programme and are steadily building towards the World Cup.

"The players are doing really well and working extremely hard. We are currently focusing on fitness in what has been a very demanding camp. After this, we will travel to Germany, where the emphasis will shift towards tactics, match play and practice games. By then, we want to be fully prepared for the World Cup," Marijne said.