The Indian junior women’s hockey team led by Salima Tete is all set for the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup, which begins on April 1.
After patiently waiting for the moment, with the coveted quadrangular tournament postponed from December 2021 due to the Omicron threat in South Africa, the Indian team’s dressing room filled with excitement ahead of their first match in Pool D against Wales on April 2. Is.
Reflecting on the team’s sentiments, Captain Salima Tete, who led the Under-18 team to a historic silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games in 2018, said, “There is a lot of enthusiasm among the players. Everyone has worked very hard for this moment and used the postponement to get the better performance, improve as a team so that we can do our best here.”
He highlighted the team’s preparations in the lead-up to the tournament, which landed in Potchefstroom about a week before their first match. “Coming here early has helped us a lot. We have been able to get a good amount of training sessions here which has helped us adapt to the weather. It gets very hot and humid during the day. It certainly helped in our last camp before coming to Bhubaneswar, Odisha, where we trained in very hot conditions.”
The Indian team will start their campaign against Wales on April 2 and then their second Pool D match against Germany. They will take on Malaysia in the third match and are expected to play the quarter-finals on April 8 while the semi-finals and final will be held on April 10 and 12 respectively.
“Definitely the team is confident of doing our best. We are well prepared and we have a good mix of experienced players. Our aim will be to play match after match, start well and play according to plan.”
Vice-captain Ishika Choudhary, who recently made her senior debut during the FIH Hockey Pro League, said, “Many of us in the team got a chance to play with the senior team and we trained with them in Bhubaneswar. Took it too. I think this experience will definitely help us in the Junior World Cup.”
The Indian team also played two warm-up matches against England and the Netherlands, both of which ended in draws. “We played 4×10 minute warm-up matches against England and Netherlands. It gave us insight into the areas we need to prioritize. We were creating many chances but didn’t convert enough. However, the fact that we all have been in the national program for the last 3-4 years helps us understand each other’s game better and overcome the setbacks. We look forward to a good start,” concluded Ishika.
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