India, Feb. 25 -- Past laurels will not guarantee selection, and players, irrespective of their stature, will have to fight for their spot in a potentially make-or-break year for the Indian women's hockey team, its new coach Sjoerd Marijne has asserted.

The Indian women's team is going through a difficult phase. It failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024, an unexpected low after having achieved a historic fourth-place finish in the Tokyo Games under Marijne's guidance. The side also failed to qualify for the FIH Pro League last year and could not find a place in the World Cup through the Asia Cup route. Marijne, who quit due to personal reasons after the 2021 Olympics, was brought back early this year following the removal of Ha...