India eye women's hockey World Cup semifinal berth in clash against Australia

Amstelveen: With an eye on a berth in the final four, the Indian women's team will face off against Australia in a virtual quarterfinal clash of the women's hockey World Cup, here on Sunday.

India lost 0-2 to the defending champions and world No. 1 the Netherlands in their first second-round match last Friday, but remain in contention for the last-four stage.

Under the new format, India will not face China again and their points from the first round would be carried forward.


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While India have a point from their opening draw against China, the Netherlands have six points after beating India and Australia in the first round. China have two points after the 1-1 draw against Australia in the second round, who also have a couple of points.

India's route to the semifinals is straightforward: if the Netherlands beats China, a win over Australia would take the ninth-ranked Indian team through.

However, if China manages an upset against the in-form Netherlands, the equation would become complicated. A draw between India and Australia would leave each of these three teams on two points each, forcing goal difference to come into play.

Read more: FIH World Cup: India women qualify for second round after goalless draw with England

China is ahead at the moment with 0 goal difference, while India and Australia both are at -2 each.

Nevertheless, India's defensive resilience has been one of the biggest positives of their campaign.

Goalkeepers Savita and Bichoo Devi made several crucial saves in the goalless draw against England, with India successfully defending all 12 penalty corners. They also restricted the Netherlands to just two goals from PCs, with the Dutch failing to score from open play despite sustained pressure.

Captain Salima Tete produced some outstanding defensive interventions, while the backline stood firm against one of the strongest attacking units.

The challenge is to complement that defensive solidity with greater efficiency in attack.

India created opportunities against the Netherlands but struggled to convert. The penalty-corner specialist Deepika, who scored six goals during the Nations Cup triumph in New Zealand, will be expected to take charge again.

Australia, meanwhile, have not enjoyed their best season. The two-time world champions finished eighth in the 2025-26 Pro League and were runners-up to the hosts at the World Cup qualifiers in Santiago.

Having toured Australia before lifting the Nations Cup, India is familiar with the Hockeyroos. The two sides played four closely-fought matches, with India winning one, losing two, and drawing one.

Meanwhile, coach Sjoerd Marijne acknowledged that schedule has taken a toll on his players after they had to play two high-pressure matches on successive days, against England and the Netherlands.

"We played two big matches on two consecutive days. I'm not saying we would have won if that hadn't happened, but the players made technical mistakes in the end," Marijne said.

"The team showed good intentions, but they should have capitalised on the opportunities. We don't get many chances against such teams. Now, I consider the match against Australia like a quarterfinal, where a win will take us to the semifinals."

For a team featuring 11 World Cup debutants, India have exceeded expectations on several fronts.

They held China to a draw in their opening game, thrashed South Africa 6-1, and then kept England goalless to enter the second round.

Savita, the most experienced player in the tournament with 317 international appearances, has led from the back, while Bichoo Devi's late save against England underlined India's defensive depth.

In attack, Navneet Kaur has been influential, while Sunelita Toppo, Baljit Kaur, Sakshi, Shilpi, Lalremsiami, and Neha have shown the ability to trouble opponents.

However, against Australia, India will need to turn that promise into goals.

A win would put them within touching distance of a World Cup semifinal which implies Sunday's contest is the quarterfinal Marijne believes it is.