Resilient India hold England, make it round 2 of Women's Hockey World Cup

The Indian women's team showed resilience and grit to iron out a 0-0 draw against England to make it to the second round of the women's hockey World Cup 2026 on Thursday, August 20.India move into the next round with China (Courtesy: Hockey India)India had one job to do on Thursday, August 20. Get a draw against England and not lose. That was enough for them to move into the second round of the Women's Hockey World Cup 2026. And that's exactly what happened as the spirited Indian eves fought and ensured they got a 0-0 draw to get over the line.HOCKEY WORLD CUP FULL COVERAGEWhile the passing was still something to work upon, the Indian players showed grit and the defence stood tall to thwart England at each corner. They also had goalkeepers Savita Punia and Bichu Devi to thank for some vital saves, especially the latter making some sensational stops in the dying moments of the final quarter. The result meant that India finished second in Pool D with five points as China finished top of the standings with seven points.England dominated all the stats at the end of the game, but it was their abysmal penalty corner conversion rate that came to haunt them again. England had 11 PCs and failed to even get one past Savita and Bichu. India will be facing Australia and the Netherlands in the next round and will carry over a point, thanks to their draw against China.INDIA'S PASSING STILL AMISSBefore India were done celebrating their 6-1 win against South Africa, Sjoerd Marijne made a simple admission. He wanted his players to be more efficient when it came to passing. According to him, modern hockey is more about passing than individual skills. But on Thursday, he may have to drill that point into the minds of his players yet again. Ishika got the first real chance with a sensational run down the left in the 4th minute, only to be denied by the England keeper Miriam Pritchard. Sunelita Toppo did a good bit of work to get the first PC. While Navneet's shot made it into the net, the goal was chopped off due to an infringement.The second PC in the seventh minute went just wide, but the Indian pressure continued. This created a third chance for them in the 8th minute.This time Deepika went for the shot, and it was just wide.The problem for India was their passing. A misplaced pass allowed England to earn their first PC in the 11th minute.Another error allowed England to turnover and Lily Owsley had India and Savita concerned. While India kept the pressure up, the poor passing, especially close to the England D was consistent.It continued in the second quarter as well. There were moves consistently breaking down because the final ball lacked quality.Ishika and Salima Tete stitched together a fine move in the 21st minute, but the finishing was once again off the mark. Tete also got another chance.Once again, the Indian stick work going forward was a treat and Lalremsiami got another PC. But Pritchard was able to save it and England got one of their own at the other end. Bichu Devi was up to the task and got the save in to keep the scores level.The pressure this time was from England, and they got another PC with three minutes remaining for half-time. England had a chance through Bourne, but Jyoti put in a challenge at the right time to ensure we went into half-time with the scores level.INDIA'S IRONWOMEN STEP UP"In the start, we decided that we'll fight for everything. Today, we defended really well as a team. England are a very good team. But we did not stop fighting till the last minute. England have a really good PC attack, but we were really good in defence, so I want to compliment the defence," a buoyant Salima said after the game.Her smile summed up the story on Thursday as her side just put up a defence that was simply unbreakable.The third quarter started with India on the front foot and getting a PC early. England were able to defend well from that chance. India once again had the ball in the net from a second PC, but it was ruled out yet again.After some intense back and forth, it was England that started to have the momentum, forcing Savita to make a crucial save in the 39th minute.The pressure was immense and India had their veteran goalkeeper to thank for saving them on multiple occasions. This was at a point where India's defensive structure looked to be flustered as Sunelita Toppo made a deliberate back clearance to hand another PC.But India kept hanging on as England were getting more desperate.The final 15 minutes meant that India were happy to defend deep while England were going for an all-out assault. The pressure was mounting and so were the PCs. But India kept defending with their bodies on the line.One such save in the 51st minute had Bichu shouting in delight as the fans showed their appreciation. With India remaining resolute, England decided to roll the dice once more and pulled off their goalkeeper Pritchard for an extra player.It almost paid dividends at the very end as they came close through Tessa Howard. But Bichu, an accidental goalkeeper by her own admission, jumped to the left and made the save.That was enough to have Marijne jumping around in the dugout as his team saw out the result and moved to the next phase.Tougher tests will now await the Indian team in the form of Olympic champions, the Netherlands and Australia. But Salima signed off on the day with a simple reminder about what she expects from her team."We are ready to fight with everything against the Netherlands and Australia. This match is finished, now we need to fight," said Salima.Marijne would be mightily pleased with the performance from his team. They have reached the first check point in their journey."We're the best of the rest, it's now time to make the top 8," Marijne said before the tournament.Now, his team can actually dream as they have shown that they can battle anyone on any given day.- EndsPublished On: Aug 20, 2026 20:09 IST