The Indian team will have their work cut out for them in their opening match as the Holland side is ranked number 1 in the world currently.
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The Indian women’s hockey team is all set to begin their campaign for the Tokyo Olympics. They will face a formidable Holland side in their opening match on Saturday. The women’s team made history at the 2016 Rio Olympics when they qualified for the Games for the first time in three-and-a-half decades. They will have their work cut out for them in their opening match as the Holland side is ranked number 1 in the world currently. However, this is not the same Indian side that played at the 2016 Games. They might have had an unimpressive campaign then, but the present team is in fact stronger and can hold their own against any opposition.
The women’s team has grown stronger over the past five years, and they have the accolades to back it up. The side won the 2016 Asian Champions Trophy, 2017 Asia Cup, the Silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games, and reached the Quarter Finals of the 2018 Women’s World Cup for the first time in history. They also showed exactly how good they can be in the FIH Women’s Series Finals in Hiroshima two years ago. The side defeated hosts Japan 3-1 to win the Gold medal. They had also beaten a strong USA team in the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2019 to book a place in the Tokyo Olympics.
Team captain Rani Rampal was full of enthusiasm as she spoke about the Games. She said that the women were brimming with confidence and expected a good run in the competition. “It’s very exciting to be here in Tokyo. We have worked very hard for this tournament in the last five years, and we can’t wait for it to start. It’s been a long wait for the Tokyo Games, and we are glad that we are just one day away from our first match. All players are looking good during the practice sessions, and we are very confident about our chances in this competition,” the skipper said.
“We have all the skills to perform at this level, however, it’s very important for us to execute our plans properly. Everyone is clear about their respective roles. If we coordinate well on the field and play to our potential, I am sure we can produce great results in this tournament,” she added.
Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne mirrored the captain’s sentiments when he said that the players were confident ahead of the Olympics. He said that they would take one game at a time and keep improving as they go along. “The Olympics is the biggest of all tournaments and our team is raring to go. The players have put in all the hard yards and now it’s all about going out on the field and giving it their best. This team has played well against the top sides in the recent past and therefore the confidence level in the group is high. We are going to take it one match at a time and try to keep improving with each match,” Marijne said.
Following their first group match against the Dutch, India will take on Germany (July 26), Great Britain (July 28), Ireland (July 30), and South Africa (July 31) before the knockout stage, which will commence on August 2.
