Head coach Harendra Singh said that a ‘new side’ of the Indian hockey team will be on display in the upcoming edition of the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, scheduled from Monday (November 11) to Wednesday (November 20).
The Indian hockey team has had its fair share of troubles, having not qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024. Harendra, appointed the head coach in April, said that the Indian team has put in the hard yards, and the players have worked on their game and decision-making on the field.
“Each team will come with the goal of winning the trophy, and we have spent the last five months preparing with the Asian Champions Trophy in mind. We identified the areas for improvement, such as combinations and decision-making in the shooting circle, and have worked on them,” Harendra said in a press release to Hockey India.
“I am confident that hockey fans will witness a new side of the Indian women’s hockey team this time, and they won’t be disappointed,” Harendra added.
"Indian team has been training rigorously" - Salima Tete on India's preparations for Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024
India are the defending champions after they beat Japan in the final last year in Ranchi; hence, the expectations will be high. Skipper Salima Tete sounded confident about India’s chances in the upcoming tournament.
“We have been training rigorously at SAI Bengaluru for the Asian Champions Trophy. In previous matches, we faced challenges in the final third of the pitch, so we have focused significantly on improving in that area,” Salima said.
India will start their campaign on November 11 against Malaysia after which they will be up against South Korea on November 12. India’s matches against Thailand and China are on November 14 and 16 respectively.
India’s last and final game is against Japan on November 17. The semis are scheduled for November 19 followed by the final on November 20.