In a recent media interaction, Indian women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal has stated on Wednesday that good performances against teams that are higher ranked than India would make for a good preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.
The Indian skipper was speaking prior to the departure of the team to Auckland for its first tour of the season.
Notably, the Indian team will lock horns with New Zealand in four matches and then will go on to face Great Britain as part of a ten-day tour scheduled to end on 5 February.
“We look forward to playing against higher-ranked teams like New Zealand (world number six) and Great Britain (world number five). We want to do well as it will give us a good boost in our Olympic preparation. A good start against tough teams will matter a lot,” Rani said as quoted by PTI.
“While we have done well in the past against Great Britain, New Zealand is one team we look forward to do well against. They play tough, attacking hockey and they will be quite challenging,” she added.
She explained how analytical coach Janneke Schopman’s experience could prove to be helpful for the team.
“I think it’s fantastic that she has joined our camp. We are excited to work with her and she knows our team well,” she concluded.