Indian Women’s Hockey team begin New Zealand Tour with a 4-0 win

Auckland (New Zealand), 25 January The Indian Women’s Hockey Team kick started the first tour of their Olympic Year with a confident victory over the New Zealand Development squad here on Saturday.

Arriving in Auckland on Thursday for the tour where they will play the hosts in four matches and Great Britain in one match, India played with an intent to win.

Though it took them all of the first half to shake off the starting blues, striker Rani fetched India’s first goal in the third quarter. “In the beginning we struggled a bit with the jet lag but after that we played a very controlled game and created a lot of opportunities,” stated the Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne after the match.

India continued to build on their 1-0 lead by creating back-to-back PCs in the following minutes but could not convert. “The last two quarters New Zealand created a lot of pressure and they pressed hard but we continued to remain positive with our attack,” Marijne added.

Youngster Sharmila doubled the lead in the third quarter and Rani stretched a lead to 3-0 when she scored her second goal of the match in the fourth quarter. Namita Toppo earned India’s fourth goal. “Today we played with 16 players just like the Olympic Games and every match we will change the players. Whether they make the squad depends on these matches and how they cope under pressure,” stated the Dutchman.

He also added, “We tried a few new things in the match today but we still need improvement and that’s why we are here, to improve our game in every match.”