With ten days to go before India’s opening match against China at FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup at Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, the Indian women’s team is fine-tuning every aspect of its preparation. For goalkeepers Savita Punia and Bichu Devi Kharibam, that has meant learning from one of the best in the business.Former Dutch international goalkeeper — and Paris Olympics men’s gold winner — Pirmin Blaak conducted three specialised goalkeeping sessions with the Indian duo during the team’s recent stint in Germany, where India also played two practice matches. The sessions focused not only on technical aspects but also on the mental side of goalkeeping.According to Savita, the sessions proved invaluable. “It was a very good experience. In fact, better than I had expected,” the veteran goalkeeper told TOI during an exclusive interview from the Netherlands on Wednesday.“We spoke a lot about the mindset a goalkeeper should have, worked on defending drag flicks and discussed mental toughness. His sessions were extremely energetic and high intensity,” she said, “For a goalkeeper, even learning a new small skill can make a huge difference.”Working with the Dutchman had long been part of the plan. Savita revealed that former goalkeeping coach Simon Zijp had earlier told her that if he was unavailable, Pirmin would be the ideal person to continue working with the Indian goalkeepers.
Bichu Devi Kharibam (left) and Savita Punia
Although the duo trained under Pirmin for only three days, Savita believes the quality of the sessions made a significant difference. “There had been a gap since we last had this kind of specialised goalkeeping training. It took us some time to adjust in the first session, but the second and third sessions were really good. He will also be with us during the World Cup,” she said.Bichu, too, said the sessions were built on months of remote guidance from Pirmin, who had been sending training plans and goalkeeping drills to the goalkeepers even before joining them in Germany.“He was unable to come to India, but remained in constant touch,” said the 25-year-old, “He sent us detailed training plans and goalkeeping exercises, which were implemented by our coaches in Bengaluru. We followed those sessions throughout the camp.”Once Pirmin joined them in Germany, however, his influence became first-hand. “He focused on improving our decision-making, explained the best lines to take as a goalkeeper, when to come off the line, how to narrow the angles and how to coordinate better with our defenders,” Bichu added.“A lot of the sessions were about communication between the goalkeeper and the defence — understanding which areas the goalkeeper covers and which areas the defenders should take responsibility for.”Beyond the technical lessons, Bichu is also relishing the prospect of playing another World Cup alongside Savita, whom she credits with playing a significant role in her development.“Savita always tells me that every goalkeeper concedes goals and the important thing is to forget about it quickly and move on,” said Bichu, “That advice has helped me focus much better. If you concede a goal and keep thinking about it, you won’t be able to perform in the next moment.”The admiration is mutual.“I have a lot of confidence in Bichu. She is a very good goalkeeper with a very bright future. One of her biggest qualities is her sincerity. Very few players are as dedicated to improving themselves as she is,” said Savita, who is among six players in the squad set to feature in their third World Cup.Savita, meanwhile, hopes this edition of the World Cup will be India’s best yet. “This is my third World Cup. I want us to achieve something even better than what we managed in the previous two editions,” she said.Armed with fresh inputs from one of Europe’s finest goalkeepers and buoyed by a partnership built on trust and mutual respect, Savita and Bichu now have just one objective — to ensure India’s last line of defence is ready when they play their first match in 10 days’ time.
