This confidence has been built by the excellent performance of the Indian women's hockey team in the last one year. If the Indian women's hockey team wins the gold medal in these games, then it will get direct entry into the Olympic Games to be held in Paris next year.
Savita attributes the improvement in the performance of the Indian women's hockey team in the last decade to the tremendous increase in facilities in the country. She says that with the improvement in the training facilities of the players, they have also gained a lot of experience.
Savita said, "When I started playing hockey in 2008, the conditions were not so good. That was the era when some players could not even eat two square meals. I also got a job after playing for nine years. But at present the players have built good houses for their families. Besides, all the players also have good jobs.
At present, results have come to depend on the ability to convert penalty corners into goals. The Indian team has worked hard in this area in the training camp organized at SAI Center in Bengaluru before leaving for Hangzhou. Its results can be seen.
We are all aware of Rupinder Pal's ability in converting penalty corners into goals. Rupinder played an important role in India winning a medal in the Tokyo Olympics after 41 years. His services were taken in the women's team camp. This has significantly increased the confidence of female drag flickers.
Deepika, who was part of the team, said that Rupinder Pal taught us how to save the ball from the fast-advancing defenders at the penalty corner. He told how to try to score a goal by flicking. Deepika says that due to Rupinder's teaching, there has been a lot of improvement in this field.
The Indian team has been placed in Pool A along with South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. If we look at the ranking and performances at the international level, India does not see any special threat from any team.
The Indian team is going to participate in these games as the seventh number team in the FIH rankings. None of the participating teams is ahead of him. Among the pool teams, only South Korea is ranked 12th and Malaysia is ranked 19th. India may not have any problem with Malaysia but South Korea has the potential to cause trouble.
India will reach the semi-finals by finishing among the first two teams of the pool. But in this round, there will be a possibility of a competition with the previous champion Japan or the host China. Both the teams are very tough. Even though Japan is three places below India in the ranking, it has always been giving India a tough test. As far as China is concerned, apart from being a tough team, it will be playing at home, so one will have to be ready to give one's best to defeat them.
Both Salima Tete and Navneet Kaur are midfielders. Both are known for their fast pace. It is said about Salima that if she comes out with the ball, it is not easy to catch her. Navneet Kaur also uses her brain well while playing. Generally, the role of these two players is very important in building the Indian attack.
Vandana Kataria is considered a forward who takes advantage of opportunities. If Vandana's coordination with Salima and Navneet becomes right, then this trio has the ability to turn even the toughest matches in India's favor.
It is not that the entire game will depend on this trio. Deep Grace Ekka in defence, Savita Punia in goal will also play an important role.
Under the leadership of Rani Rampal, the Indian women's hockey team performed brilliantly in the Tokyo Olympics and secured fourth place. After this, Rani remained away for a long time due to hamstring injury. He returned to the field in the last National Games. He was successful in scoring maximum 18 goals. Even after this he did not get a place in the team.
Hurt by not being able to make it to the national team, Rani accused many unfit players of being selected in the Asian Games team. Perhaps in the eyes of women's hockey team coach Shopman, she did not fit into the team, hence her name was not even considered.
Shopman also said that if we look at the recent performances of the team, the team seems to be moving forward unitedly. She is also continuously learning.
If we look at the recent performance of the Indian women's hockey team, there is hope for a good performance in Hangzhou. The most special among these is the winning of the Nations Cup in December last year. This cup is used to move teams in and out of the FIH Pro League.
By winning this cup, the Indian team was successful in qualifying for the 2024-25 FIH Pro League season. India defeated the strong team of Spain 3-0 in the final. This performance makes the Indian team one of the great teams. Recently, the Indian team also performed brilliantly in the tournament organized on the occasion of the centenary of Spanish hockey.
The Indian team performed brilliantly in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and won the bronze medal after 16 years. To get this medal, the Indian team defeated the 2018 Gold Coast Games champion team New Zealand 2-1 in the penalty shoot-out. Savita Punia's brilliant defense played an important role in this victory. It is said that the image of goalkeeper PR Sreejesh in men's hockey is that of Savita Poonia in women's hockey. He has written the story of all the victories of India due to his brilliant performance.
The Indian team will start its campaign by playing Singapore on 27th September. After this, it will play Malaysia on 29th September, South Korea on 1st October and Hong Kong on 3rd October. The semi-finals and final will be played on October 5 and 7 respectively.
Also Read: ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Schedule, Full List of Teams, Dates, Venues
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