To reach Paris, India will have to do something they haven’t in close to a decade – conquer Germany. The ballsichern-ing (ball-protecting, translated loosely), horizontal-playing, all-controlling, rising-from-the-ashes Germany.

When they last did that in regulation time, back in February 2015, India were nobody in women’s hockey. They barely played big teams, seldom won against them and the Olympics was something they’d only heard and seen but never experienced.

Yet, it was also a period of hope. A golden generation of players was expected to take the women’s team to previously unforeseen heights, which they did. Step after giant step. Rising first to become an Asian force, making it to consecutive Olympics after not gracing on the grandest stage for more than three decades and once there, coming within sniffing distance of a medal.

A majestic performance from Team India in front of a packed Ranchi crowd, we had to win this one to qualify for Semis. And the girls delivered in style!

An all-round display from the team takes us through to the Semis now, where we face Germany.

Here are some incredible… pic.twitter.com/8dKBOfF7Os

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They did all that and more. But Germany remained a team out of India’s reach. The win in Valencia that February afternoon was the only time India have beaten them in regulation time in the last 20 years as per the International Hockey Federation records.

When they met most recently, a month ago on December 19, 2023, Germany won comfortably; 3-1 the scoreline read.

This puts into perspective the enormous challenge Savita Punia – one of the two players in the current side who knows what it takes to beat Germany, Monika being the second – and her team in the semifinals of the Olympic Qualifier.

What makes Germany so good? Sjoerd Marijne, the Dutch coach who guided India to a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics, explains to The Indian Express: “They are very good at ball possession and protect it with their body. They call it ballsichern, something that’s taught from the youth level.”

“When they control the ball, it’s very difficult to snatch it from them,” says former India captain Rani Rampal. “And when we do get the possession, we have to work even harder to keep it because they will pounce from all sides,” she tells this newspaper.

100th international cap ✅

Player Of The Match ✅

Udita had a memorable game last night as India entered the semis of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Ranchi. #EnrouteToParis

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— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) January 17, 2024

Germany, they both add, are solid while defending. “But they aren’t defensive,” Rani says. “Their forwards also defend well. This style gives them a solid base to launch attacks.”

What makes Germany different – and hence difficult – is that they prefer playing horizontally rather than going vertically like India do. They will keep the ball on one flank, control it until they find space in the front, always on the lookout to swiftly switch the flanks and take advantage of open spaces to attack.

”Because of their strong basic skills, they do that really well,” Marijne, who is a performance coach with a football club in Belgium’s top division, says.

“It means that as the opposition, you have to run more to cover spaces. And if you don’t close one side, you are at risk. When they are in rhythm, playing stick-to-stick and taking fast restarts, they will create a numerical advantage in different zones of the pitch,” Marijne adds, explaining Germany’s attacking template.

India’s defence – with Monika, Udita Duhan and Nikki Pradhan at the heart – has stood out against New Zealand and Italy in the group stage. But Germany will be their toughest test yet in the tournament.

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India beat Italy ???????? 5-1 to qualify for the semi-finals of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi.

India will play Germany ???????? in the semis on 18th January. #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites #EnrouteToParis #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/ZRb0Uq5VF2

— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) January 16, 2024

The bumpy turf in Ranchi might make it difficult for Germany to play their usual style to quickly switch flanks and overload. India will be on the lookout for that to steal possession and launch counterattacks. But Germany’s horizontal structure means that if a player loses the ball, there’s always someone to back her up. “Hence, they might not be very vulnerable to counterattacks,” Marijne says.

As a player, Rani says she went into the matches against Germany knowing the team would have to run more than other games, endure long spells without the ball and remain patient. “You have to really work hard to get anything out of them,” Rani says.

Marijne adds that the midfielders and forwards will have to be careful to not go one-on-one with German defenders because of their strong tackling abilities. “They should instead play give-and-go hockey; play a pass to a teammate, run around the defender and receive the ball back,” Marijne adds.

It requires telepathic understanding between players but that’s how India played against Australia in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics, which remains one of the team’s biggest wins ever.

Marijne and Rani say the team nearly ticked all the boxes during the match against Germany in Tokyo. The team, under Schopman, raised their game even in the Pro League matches post-Tokyo. Yet, they could not beat them largely because they were unable to seize the moment.

“Germany have really experienced players who thrive under pressure. They have great individuals in the team,” Rani says. Marijne adds: “In our matches, the difference was the experience of the players, especially in goal-scoring situations. They will be smarter in the key moments of the match. But I also believe this team has gained experience over the years. So they should do well this time.”

India’s forward line has been a hit-and-miss in Ranchi. Salima Tete has been a constant threat while Lalremsiami and Neha Goyal have used their speed intelligently. But India have lacked the final pass in the attacking third and against a team like Germany, who won’t give many scoring chances, it’ll come down to how efficient the attackers will be. And that, eventually, could be the difference.

India haven’t beaten Germany in almost a decade. There’s an Olympic-size carrot dangling in front of them to end the dubious run.