Billed favourites, Rani-led side needs to hit the ground running
JAKARTA: Rani Rampal-led Indian women’s hockey team begins its campaign against hosts Indonesia on Sunday. Ranked 9th in the world, India are the highest ranked team in the competition, while Indonesia are way below at 64. In pool B’s other match, Thailand face Kazakhstan.
India had won their only gold medal at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi and were runners-up to South Korea in 1998 in Bangkok. But they have managed to return with a medal everytime. Their biggest test in the group stage will come against Korea who they face on August 25.
Finishing champions at the Asia Cup in 2017, Indians are expected to bag the yellow metal. A flying start would be a welcome one for coach Sjoerd Marijne, who wants India to win gold and make it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. An Olympics berth will also help India erase the disastrous performance at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Earlier this month, the women’s team had entered the World Cup quarterfinals after 40 years but a defeat against Ireland via penalty shootout is still rankling the players, especially captain Rampal, who had missed her shootout stroke.
The girls have hit the ground running. Hours after their arrival to Jakarta, the chief coach was seen holding yoga and stretching session at the Games Village. A significant improvement in the Yo-yo test, has been added to the girls’ routine.
“For the last one-and-a-half years, I am with the team and seeing a lot of changes in players’ perspective in terms of fitness and stamina,” teams’ analytical coach Erik Johan Wonink said.