India Junior Women's Hockey Team captain Shileima Chanu Khaidem says the squad has returned from a seven-match tour of the United Kingdom sharper and more battle-hardened, with the Women's Junior Asia Cup in China firmly in sight. The tour, which spanned fixtures across Scotland and England, concluded with three wins, three defeats and one shootout loss against a mix of senior and elite junior international opposition.

Tour Results at a Glance

India's campaign opened with back-to-back defeats against Scotland Senior Women — a 3-2 loss in the opener followed by a 3-1 reverse in the second fixture. The young side conceded six goals across those two matches, but the setbacks proved instructive rather than deflating.

The visitors regrouped decisively, posting a commanding 6-0 victory over USA U-21. Sukhveer Kaur led the charge with a brace, supported by goals from Kajal, Shashi Khasa, Purnima Yadav, and Puja Sahoo. India then blanked England U-21 2-0, with Binima Dhan and Roshni Aind on the scoresheet.

A fifth fixture against USA U-21 ended 1-1 after regulation — Puja Sahoo's penalty-corner strike earning the draw — before the Americans edged a shootout 3-2, with Shashi Khasa and Geeta Yadav converting for India. The squad responded immediately, completing a second 2-0 win over England U-21 through field goals from Krishna Sharma and Purnima Yadav. The tour concluded with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Belgium U-21, where goals from Louise Van Herendael and Romanie Verhaeghe gave Belgium the lead before Sukhveer Kaur pulled one back late.

What the Captain Said

'This tour has been a fantastic learning experience for all of us. Playing against strong international teams with different styles of hockey challenged us to adapt quickly and improve with every match,' Shileima said. She also highlighted the squad's mental resilience: 'We have taken a lot of confidence from our performances, especially the way we bounced back after difficult results. These matches have helped us understand the areas where we are doing well and where we still need to improve.'

Standout Performers

Sukhveer Kaur emerged as one of the tour's most consistent contributors, finding the net against Scotland, USA, and Belgium. Purnima Yadav, Shashi Khasa, Kajal, and Puja Sahoo also featured regularly on the scoresheet. Defensively, the team showed clear progression — successive clean sheets against England U-21 stood in sharp contrast to the six goals conceded in the opening two matches against Scotland's senior side.

Eyes on the Women's Junior Asia Cup

The tour was explicitly framed as preparation for the Women's Junior Asia Cup in China, and Shileima made clear the squad intends to translate the experience directly into continental competition. 'As a team, we are now looking forward to carrying these learnings into our preparations for the Women's Junior Asia Cup in China. The experience we have gained here will be invaluable as we work towards achieving our goals later this year,' she stated. Having faced a senior national side and three elite junior teams across Scotland and England, India's young squad heads into that tournament with a clearer picture of where it stands — and what it must fix.