NEW DELHI: There is a quiet confidence around the Indian women’s hockey team these days. It’s not just because they lifted the FIH Nations Cup in New Zealand, earning promotion back to the FIH Pro League, but because the team believes it has finally found the balance between youth, experience and structure.Captain Salima Tete and Sunelita Toppo are two faces of this transformation. For Salima, who took over in 2023, leadership has been a journey of growth rather than authority. She admits the role was daunting at first, especially as one of the youngest players tasked with leading a team full of experienced internationals.“It was difficult at first because I didn’t know how to handle everything. I learned to sit with seniors like Savita, Nikki and others, asking questions and understanding how to lead. First, I didn’t speak. Now I know that communication is one of the biggest responsibilities of a captain,” said Salima.This openness has helped create a locker room where every player is encouraged to contribute. According to the midfielder, leadership is shared rather than imposed.“It’s not that the captain does everything. Each player takes responsibility. The juniors are also talking now, and this is very important for us.”This culture was evident during India’s Cup of Nations triumph, where the team displayed composure, resilience and tactical discipline. But Salima insists that the celebrations have already been put aside.“The victory is a great memory, but now our focus is entirely on the World Cup. We have analyzed our performances, watched the videos, and identified where we can improve. We’re just getting started.”India’s preparations are focused on sharpening the basics while building on the physical improvements that have become increasingly visible in recent years. Salima credited the support staff for raising the team’s fitness standards, saying improvements in agility, strength and recovery have helped the players meet the speed of international hockey.“If we focus on our strengths, play with confidence, and remain consistent, we can get good results. Each player has a different quality, speed, skills, or passing and if everyone does their role well, we can compete with the best, said Salima.Among those benefiting from the environment created by senior players is Sunelita Toppo, whose journey reflects the rapid growth of Indian women’s hockey. The young striker, who scored in the Nations Cup final against New Zealand, said the moment was a reward for countless hours spent practicing specific match situations.“We had prepared for that situation before the match. When the ball came to me, I remained composed and executed what we practiced. I am happy that I could contribute to the team’s victory,” he said.The rise of Sunelita has been direct. Growing up in Odisha, he started playing hockey with a bamboo stick because his family could not afford proper equipment. Even the first hockey stick he got from a coach was broken.Those humble beginnings, however, make them appreciate how dramatically the hockey infrastructure has evolved in the state.“When I started, we played on mud fields. Now the young players start on the turf itself. There are turf fields even near my village, so I can continue to practice every time I go home. That has made a big difference.”She also highlighted the role of senior players in helping youngsters settle in the national set-up.“The coaches teach us the system, but the seniors explain the situations from their own experience. They never make us feel like juniors. They guide us constantly, and that helped me improve a lot, said Sunelita.”Both players believe that India’s biggest leap since the Tokyo Olympics has been their understanding of structure and fitness. While the hunger to win still exists, Sunelita feels that the team’s tactical maturity has grown significantly under the current coaching group.With the Hockey World Cup and Asian Games just around the corner, India knows tougher challenges await against the world’s elite. But if the Nations Cup was a statement of intent, the conversations in the Indian camp reveal something equally important, a team that has stopped measuring by past performances and started believing that it belongs to the best.The next few months will determine if that belief can translate into medals. For now, India enters the biggest phase of the cycle bringing not only momentum but a renewed sense of purpose.