Just after 30 seconds from pushback, Udita hit a long pass to Neha at the edge of the circle. The midfielder earned a foul, released a pass to find Salima Tete down the right flank. The speedster from Simdega, who was dubbed as ‘Ferrari’ by former coach Sjoerd Marijne, broke through at pace and dribbled into the circle. Her pass then found the stick of Jyoti first and broke kindly for another Simdega star in Sangita Kumari who swept home first time to put India ahead.

That goal came with 14:29 on the clock, and 41 seconds into a massive clash against New Zealand at the FIH Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi on Sunday, India took the lead. Make no mistake, the pressure on Savita Punia’s team for this clash was incredibly high after a defeat to USA on Saturday. Another defeat here and that was it for their dreams of reaching Paris.

An early goal was just what the doctor ordered as India prevailed 3-1 against the Black Sticks to keep their hopes alive.

For her brilliant all-round game tonight, Salima Tete was adjudged as the Player of the Match between India and New Zealand. #POTM #TeamIndia #FIHOlympicQualifiers #HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #EnRouteToParis@CMO_Odisha @FIH_Hockey @IndiaSports @sports_odisha @Media_SAI… pic.twitter.com/UmeBEACykx

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) January 14, 2024

Coach Janneke Schopman would later reveal that she was a little bit worried that India had scored far too early and it might lull them into stepping back too soon. That did happen in Q1 as New Zealand responded well to equalise. But to their credit, India bounced back immediately in the opening fifteen minutes to lead 3-1 and held on to that for the rest of the night.

Udita (12′), celebrating her birthday, and Beauty Dungdung (14′), who is also a product of the Simdega training center, scored the second and third goals. New Zealand’s equalising goal came from Megan Hull (9′).

Salima steps up

After the Asian Champions Trophy last year, Schopman told The Indian Express that “Salima has these unique feet for her speed, and ability to eliminate defenders to create opportunities.” Salima – reluctant to play through the middle but understanding what the coach was asking of her – had impressed in that new role. She was the Player of the Tournament.

On Sunday, she made an instant impact. Back in the starting lineup, she delivered the first major attacking outcome of the match. In general, she was central to everything India did well in the first half. She switched flanks, threatened both wings of New Zealand and didn’t hesitate to move in as well when the chance presented.

Salima would be involved in the third goal too and from the left this time. It was her driving diagonal run from the right flank that set up a Penalty Corner first. After good attacking pressure, India recycled the ball well and Salima released Beauty down the left byline. The youngster’s pass into the center was deflected and India celebrated their third goal in one quarter after not scoring at all against USA.

When she started to pick up the sport from her father Sulakshan in Barkichhapar, Salima used to wake up at 4 am and run for hours near the river. It is likely where she got that speed in her legs from. As a kid, she used to play in tournaments where goats were given as prizes, she did well in the local events and won a lot. From her school in Tumdegi, playing tournaments in Latthakamhan, she was spotted as a talent that was worth investing in and she made the move to Simdega’s hockey training center where she was mentored by Pratima Barwa.

Against USA, along with the majority of the India squad, she didn’t have the best of matches. She often ran into a wall while trying to take on defenders and the usual connections with Sangita were missing. India needed at least one player to step up their game so that the others could follow suit, and it was Salima who did that versus New Zealand.

“Salima is very good at playing multiple positions. She also played through the center today but I have asked her to do both, switching from side to center. It is really difficult for the opponents, so they can’t really know where she ends up,” Schopman told reporters in the mixed zone.

Defence shines

In between those two goals, Udita connected well from a PC with her slap as India scored a goal very similar to New Zealand’s equaliser. With all four goals coming in the first quarter, the rest of the match was about game management for India. Schopman would have liked a goal or two more that would have sent India above New Zealand on the table.

But it was imperative to not let them back into the match as well. There was a period of sustained pressure in the third quarter from New Zealand, but India’s deep defence was in sync. It was not flawless either but any time there was a mistake made, there was another player to mop it up. If Udita lost the ball, Nikki Pradhan was there to clear the lines. Nisha and Monika dropped deep to help out as well, while young Ishika Chauhdary too put in crucial tackles.

“With Grace not here, that’s a lot of experience in our defensive line that we don’t have. I have asked Mona to play a lower line and she is doing a very good job there. I think Ishika is doing a good job with Udita and Nikki. They need to connect and play together with Savi. They did that today. We kept them from being dangerous,” Schopman said.

New Zealand’s performance mirrored India’s against USA as they struggled to fashion clear-cut chances. But credit where it is due as India put the disappointment behind them to come up with a result that keeps them in contention for the Olympics. Italy await on Tuesday as India would know what their equation is based on how USA vs New Zealand unfolds.