Indian hockey’s high performance director Roelant Oltmans on Wednesday said the junior women’s team bronze medal finish at the junior women’s hockey World Cup would become a inspiring story to others.

Indian women’s hockey coach Neil Hawgood has always been straightforward in assessing his wards. “Pathetic”, “just not there”, “learning, but lacking in mental strength...” are some of the terms he had used to describe their performances in the recent past.

India’s campaign at the crucial Asia Cup men’s hockey tournament in Malaysia this month is under threat from a spate of injuries.

Forward Rani Rampal was the star performer as India clinched their first-ever medal in the Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup.

In a first for them, India advanced to the semi-finals of the Junior Hockey World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germ-any, on Thursday. The Indians defeated Spain 4-2 in their quarter-final, thus becoming the first team from the competition to enter the last-four stage.

Alarmed at the growing number of injuries, the Indian hockey think-tank has once again opted to move the camp out of SAI, South Centre, here.

Punjab will take on Uttar Pradesh in the final of the Federation Cup men’s hockey tournament at the Shivaji Stadium in New Delhi.

India kept their quarter-final hopes alive in the junior hockey World Cup with a 2-0 win over New Zealand, riding on Manjit Kaur and Vandana Kataria’s strikes in the second half, on Sunday.

Dhanraj Pillay, former hockey captain, has fired a fresh salvo to revive an old debate. He has reiterated his desire to coach the national team: this time charging that the establishment is throwing big bucks down the drain by plumping for foreigners rather than looking at home-grown expertise.

Deepak Bijawad scored a brace as Karnataka defeated Delhi 5-3 to top Pool A and set up a semi-final clash with Uttar Pradesh in the Federation Cup men’s hockey tournament in the capital.