Having trained them in varied ways — sometimes strictly, and on occasions with tenderness — he thought the team would move ahead best without him and wanted the girls to find their inner strength. Turn to the real world. In the last few years, Indian women had shown slow signs of progress and even qualified for the Rio Olympics — their first entry into the quadrennial event after having played on an invitational basis in the Moscow Games. Overseas coaches were appointed and sacked, while scientific advisors and physical trainers spent considerable time with the team.