New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) Legendary Dutch dragflicker Taeke Taekema participated in a specialised training camp with the senior Indian women’s hockey team, focusing on dragflicking and penalty-corner skills during their tour of Australia and New Zealand from May 26 to June 21.

Taekema has been appointed to enhance the dragflickers’ skills as the Indian team prepares for the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup New Zealand 2025-26, set for June 15-21, 2026, under chief coach Sjoerd Marijne.

Indian dragflickers Deepika, Lalthantluangi, and Annu are engaging in targeted training sessions to enhance India’s penalty-corner conversions and overall attacking performance ahead of an important international season.

Taekema is considered one of the greatest dragflickers in world hockey history. A former international for the Netherlands, he earned recognition for his strong penalty-corner hits and competed in numerous major tournaments, such as the Olympic Games and FIH Hockey World Cups. With over 200 caps and 221 international goals, his impact on the game is significant.

Anandana, the Coca-Cola India Foundation, backs the initiative, furthering their support for women’s hockey development in India. Additionally, Anandana sponsored a special goalkeeping camp for the Indian Women’s Hockey Team in Bengaluru, led by renowned coach David Williamson, ahead of the team’s departure for Australia.

In preparation for the FIH Women’s Nations Cup in Auckland, India played a friendly series of four matches against Australia at the Perth Hockey Stadium from May 26 to 30, 2026. Both teams won two matches each, resulting in a 2-2 series draw.

The Indian team will arrive in New Zealand on June 3 to resume their training with practice matches leading up to the FIH Women’s Nations Cup.

“We know that penalty corners are crucial in modern hockey and having a coach with Taeke Taekema’s experience will be extremely valuable for us. Besides dragflicking, his role will also be much broader in helping improve our defensive structures. He has developed himself wider and we are looking to utilise his full potential with the team,” chief coach Marijne said.

“I have coached him, so I know him very well and we are on the same page in terms of our approach. His experience as a former top-level player will also be very important for the team. We already have good dragflickers in the squad and also a strong striking option in Navneet Kaur. It is crucial for us to get more out of our penalty-corner opportunities, and this camp will definitely help us improve in that area,” Marijne added.

–IANS

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