The Indian women’s hockey team’s hope of making it to the Paris Olympics depends on their finishing among top three in the Olympic Qualifiers , scheduled in Ranchi, from January 13 to 19.
The eight teams in the fray include world no.5 Germany, Japan, Chile and Czech Republic in Pool A while hosts India are clubbed in Pool B with New Zealand, United States and Italy. Only the top 3 teams in the tournament will make the qualification cut.
At world No. 6, India are the second-best ranked team in the Olympic Qualifiers after Germany, who are one place above them
Vying for their third consecutive Olympic berth, the Savita Punis-led India is optimistic about their chances. Going into the tournament as the second highest ranked team, the hosts will be riding on some significant performances in recent times, namely the Asian Champions Trophy where they avenged their loss to China in the Semi-Finals of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou.
“We are ready for the tournament. The entire team understands that this is the first step towards the Paris Olympics dream. We have worked on ourselves as an individual and as a team. Our focus will be on our own strength, and not worry too much about what the opponents will bring to the table,” asserted a confident Savita.
India will begin their campaign with a match against the United States on Saturday. India had defeated the US in the 2019 Olympic Qualifiers and will be looking to repeat tha performance this time too. “There will be pressure when we take on the USA. No doubt, they are a good side. But as I have always said, there is pressure in every match and every tournament, this is no different. We have worked on ourselves mentally and have worked on how to overcome difficult situations in the match,” stated Savita.
Speaking about the pressure to qualify for the Olympics, Chief Coach Janneke Schopman said, “The Olympics is the biggest tournament, so of course there will be pressure. Every team here wants to qualify for the Olympics and the team is aware of the challenges they will face but as Savita said, the team is well-prepared and playing in Ranchi is an advantage. We saw how much they rallied behind the team when the Asian Champions Trophy was held here, I believe their support will count this time too. If our team plays to our potential, I know we stand a sure shot to qualify.”
Nikki Pradhan is the vice-captain of the side which will be without the services of Vandana Katariya after the veteran striker suffered a cheekbone fracture in the lead-up to the tournament.
India will play their second match against New Zealand on 14th January. After a day’s rest, India will play Italy on 16th January while the Semi-Finals will be held on 18th and the Final on 19th January.
After the round-robin matches in the group stage, the top two teams from each pool will qualify for the semi-finals. The finalists will be assured of a top-two finish and thereby, qualify for next year’s Olympic Games.
The losing semi-finalists will play the bronze medal match, with the winner also securing their ticket to Paris 2024.
All matches will be played at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi. India have fond memories of the venue, having won the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy here last year.