Sjoerd Marijne had his hands on his head, sinking to the ground, half-expecting the turf to open up and swallow him. Next to him, Savita Punia, who was subbed out for the fourth quarter, anxiously looked on.
With 30 seconds left on the clock, England’s Tessa Howard fashioned a chance for herself before firing a reverse hit, which was creeping into the top left corner. Both Marijne and Savita were powerless to do anything about it as India’s second round hopes hung in the balance.
But Bichu Devi, India’s designated goalkeeper for the quarter, could. She instinctively sprang out her left padded mitt to keep the ball from going in, prompting Savita to leap up in joy, shouting ‘Yes! Yes!’.
In the World Cup, both Savita Punia (#11) and Bichu Devi (#9) have shown how well they can work in tandem.
| Photo Credit:
Hockey India
In the World Cup, both Savita Punia (#11) and Bichu Devi (#9) have shown how well they can work in tandem.
| Photo Credit:
Hockey India
After the game, Savita revealed to Sportstar what she told Bichu. “It is easy to stay inside the goal post, but it is very difficult to stay outside the ground [watching]. There is nothing in your control.”
In the past, the job of bailing out this Indian team had been Savita’s task. But Savita and the Indian management have begun to place their trust in Bichu, which has been reaping rewards.
Bichu, 25, has slowly but assuredly emerged out of her senior’s shadow. When Savita was injured before last year’s Asia Cup, Bichu held her own in her absence. She also stepped up as the No. 1 choice during the World Cup qualifiers, helping India secure its ticket to the competition.
In the World Cup, both Savita and Bichu have shown how well they can work in tandem. Savita also hailed the impact of the short goalkeeping clinic with former Netherlands goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak, a Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist, ahead of the World Cup.
“When he trains us and talks about the mindset, how important mental toughness is, today was that same situation for me and Bichu today. We were mentally prepared for that,” said Savita.
After Savita had repelled a couple of shots in the third quarter, it was Bichu’s turn to go under the bar for the final 15.
But before she went in, Savita had encouraging words for Bichu, reminding her that she is ‘one of the world’s best goalkeepers’ and telling her: “Just believe in yourself and be calm. Pressure and attack will come, but just stay calm in the goal.”
England came at India with everything it had, managing 15 circle penetrations and eight Penalty Corners in a nervy end to the game.
But Bichu managed to find the composure to keep her eye on the ball, while organising the defense in front of her. “Despite the difficulty, I managed to remain calm. The players also responded to my instructions. [When the final shot came in] I thought I will just see the ball, and I will take my team towards victory. I wouldn’t have let my team lose,” Bichu told PTI afterwards.
Bichu’s save could prove to have a transformative effect on this Indian team. Instead of experiencing an agonising exit, the women in Saffron will now enter the contest against Netherlands in the second round on Friday with renewed belief.
Even if it is a less-than-ideal turnaround between matches, Savita has no complaints. “We are happy that we are playing tomorrow. If we were out of the tournament, we would have easily gotten some rest. Our team is fit and mentally prepared. We now have to see how fast we recover tomorrow. We are ready, because we were waiting for this day. The team has a lot of belief,” she said.
Published on Aug 21, 2026
