Women's Hockey: Can India beat the Tokyo heat?
Hot and humid conditions in Tokyo will test the Indian team's stamina and endurance
After the Indian women's hockey team participated in the test event in Tokyo back in August 2019, it was quite clear to them that fitness will be as important as skills and tactics to succeed at the Olympics.
It is fully-fledged summer in Japan and the temperatures are hovering just over 30 degree centigrade. According to AccuWeather, the mercury will reach 32 degree centigrade and the real feel will soar to around 38, on July 31, the day India face South Africa in their last group stage match.
To further complicate matters, Sjoerd Marijne's girls will be playing five matches within the span of a week, and that too against teams that are ranked higher than them, barring the Proteas.
However, the Dutch coach feels that his side are prepared for the monumental task that lies ahead of them.
"We are good. We played four-five (practice) matches. The results were really good. Of course, we do everything with GPS so Wayne Lombard (Strength and Conditioning Coach) can see exactly where we are," he stated previously before leaving for Tokyo.
"We are training to play eight matches and we are prepared to do that. We hope to do that. All our training is above match-intensity. So that means, matches will be easier for them than they did in the training session," he further added.
The Indian team had been training at SAI (Sports Authority of India) facilities in Bengaluru, where the temperatures hover around the same range as experienced at Tokyo. Moreover, for the last two months, the Dutch coach scheduled the training time in accordance with the routine that they are following in Tokyo just to adjust their biological clock.
"We don't lack in fitness compared to any team. Earlier we used to feel that there is a difference in the fitness level. But now we don't feel like that. We have worked really hard on our fitness," stated skipper Rani Rampal.
It is also believed that the players were made to train wearing windcheaters so that they get used to the humidity of Tokyo.
Despite the preparations, there are concerns as the team has not played enough competitive matches in the run-up to the Olympics. They had undertaken two exposure trips to Argentina and Germany earlier in 2021 but will that suffice? Even the manager did not have an answer.
"We learned, we studied, we did everything we can, but with lack of practice matches, we don't have the benchmark. We have really worked hard (after the trips), now we have to see if that was enough for the Olympics.
"I have a lot of confidence in what we have done, but we have to see because we don't really know," he stated candidly.
This team has improved a lot in their gameplay since Rio 2016, and they have shown in the last couple of years that they can spring a surprise against any opposition on their day. But the question is, will they have enough gas in the tank in Tokyo? They begin their campaign against the Netherlands, who are ranked number one, on Saturday.