Asian Games 2023: Indian women’s hockey team will enter with the intention of winning gold after 41 years
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Aiming to end the 41-year long wait for a gold medal in the Asian Games, the top-ranked Indian women’s team would like to start with a resounding win in their first match against Singapore on Wednesday. India, ranked seventh in the world rankings, is the highest-ranked team in the Asian Games.
The ranking of defending champion Japan is tenth. India won the first gold medal in the Asian Games when women’s hockey was included in 1982 but has not been able to win the yellow medal since then. The team captained by Savita Punia is eyeing to qualify directly for the Paris Olympics by winning gold here. On the basis of form and ranking, India is a strong contender for the title but it may face tough challenge from Japan, 11th ranked China and 12th ranked Korea.
India’s morale is high after finishing at the historic fourth place in the Tokyo Olympics. Under the guidance of Dutch coach Yanke Shopman, the team has improved a lot in its game in the last few years, however, it will have to face the pressure of big matches well. Coach Shopman said, “We have worked on many aspects. Our intention is to make a strong start and finish top in the pool.”
India has got a more or less easy Pool A which has Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Korea. India and Korea can reach the semi-finals from this pool. Pool B has China, Japan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Thailand. India has an experienced goalkeeper in Savita while the responsibility of defense lies with experienced players like Deep Grace Ikka, Sushila Chanu and Nikki Pradhan.
The forward line consists of Lalremsiami, Navneet Kaur, Vandana Kataria, Udita and Sangeeta Kumari while the midfield will be led by Neha, Nisha, Salima Tete and Ishika Chaudhary. After Singapore, India has to play Malaysia on September 29, Korea on October 1 and Hong Kong on October 3. India has so far won one gold, two silver and three bronze medals in the women’s hockey event of the Asian Games.
Disclaimer: IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.
Disclaimer: IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.
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