Kakamigahara (Japan): Seeking a World Cup berth, the Indian women’s hockey team will vie for top honours when they take on China in the final of the Women’s Asia Cup here Sunday.
“We want to qualify for the World Cup next year by winning this tournament,” skipper Rani said here Saturday. “We have played well so far and would like to continue in the same vein.”
The Indian team have won all their group games and have followed those up with impressive victories against Kazakhstan and defending champions Japan in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
“We are extremely motivated after the men won the Asia Cup. Now it’s our turn to win. The mood in the dressing room is upbeat. Everyone is excited and fully prepared for the final,” Rani pointed out.
“The match against Japan was really good. Getting off to a brilliant start was always the plan and every member of the team executed their specific roles brilliantly. We played as per the strategies planned by our coaches and ensured there were minimal errors,” Rani added.
In spite of beating China 4-1 in the group stage, Rani insisted that they were not taking the opposition lightly.
“We know China are a good side and can be quite unpredictable. We can’t take them lightly simply because we have beaten them before. We have worked on our game plan for tomorrow and focus will be on following the strategy made by our coaches,” Rani informed.
India have so far scored 27 goals in the five matches they have played. Eight of them have come off the stick of Gurjit Kaur, who is the third highest scorer in the tournament so far. Navjot Kaur and Navneet Kaur have four goals each while Deep Grace Ekka and Rani have scored thrice. Young gun Lalremsiami has also scored two goals while Neha Goyal, Sonika and Vandana Katariya have a goal each to their credit.
“I think it points out to how well we have played as a side,” said Rani. “It has been a collective team effort and we want to continue in the same vein tomorrow (Sunday) also.”
Press trust of India
