As part of their preparations for the Asia Cup campaign in Japan later this year, the Indian women's hockey team will play two matches against the junior men's team of Belgium during their tour of Europe next month. It's said to the first such official contest at the international level for any Indian team.
The decision is reminiscent of the scene in the Bollywood film Chak De! India, in which the women's hockey team is challenged by the sports federation to play and beat the men's team if it wants to take part in the World Cup. The match ends in a draw but the women get the go-ahead.
The team's coach, Sjoerd Marijne, said he had done something similar when he coached the Dutch women's team, with positive results. "Playing against boys speeds up the game. You have to be faster, stronger and if you don't do that, the boys will punish you immediately," he told ESPN. "If you want a sporting equivalent, this is a bit like a 100m sprinter but running extra downhill. They will put a lot of speed into the game. That speed must feel normal for us, which is not always possible when playing against girls. We have to defend really well."
Their opponents, Belgium's junior men's team, had finished runners-up behind India at the last World Cup in Lucknow in December 2016. "The reason for selecting Belgium as an opponent is that they are a really structured team, which is always important," Marijne said.
Asked how the same tactic had impacted the Dutch team, he said, "They scored. What we improved upon was the speed of handling and passing. You have a lot less time when playing against boys than you would do when playing with girls. You must find hockey solutions rather than running solutions."
The decision was met with interest among the hockey fraternity. "In India, we often used to play against the women's team in practice," says former India goalkeeper AB Subbaiah. "We fielded institutional teams like Services, Air India, Indian Airlines or even the Sports Authority of India hostel sides against women's senior or men's junior team for meaningful practice. But I'm quite sure this is the first time the women's team will be travelling abroad to face a junior men's team, that too Belgium."
Vece Paes, a former Olympic medallist in the sport and one of India's foremost sports doctors, says women's oestrogen levels make them mature at a faster rate than men in their teenage years. "A 16-year-old girl would be more mature, both emotionally as well as physically, than a boy of the same age," Paes says. "Playing sport with a boy would still help a girl develop well, as has been the case with badminton where top women players have often credited practising regularly alongside boys to their improved performances."
Subbaiah says Belgium will be a difficult opponent even though their junior men's team would also be in transition as they build up to the next junior World Cup in 2020. "A matchup between your senior women's team and a junior men's team is a good one," he says. "It will be a learning experience, and I hope the team doesn't get disheartened if they lose."
Paes points out that the young Indian squad must watch out for injuries when playing a competitive match against men. "After the ages of 16-18, men tend to be stronger, heavier and faster, and this increases the risk of injuries," he says. "Hockey is a dangerous sport, and we are very lucky to not have had any major injuries even though the only protection a player has are shin pads. When boys and girls come together in a sport of such pace and intensity, there's an increased likelihood of injuries."
The Indian squad
Goalkeepers: Savita Punia (vice-captain), Rajani Etimarpu
Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Sunita Lakra, Gurjit Kaur, Navdeep Kaur, Rashmita Minz
Midfielders: Karishma Yadav, Nikki Pradhan, Namita Toppo, Neha Goyal, Monika Malik, Lilima Minz
Forwards: Reena Khokhar, Rani Rampal (captain), Vandana Katariya, Poonam Rani, Lalremsiami