Indian hockey teams set for Test event ahead of Olympics qualifiers

Tokyo: Brimming with confidence ahead of the Olympic Test event here, the Indian women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal and her male counterpart Harmanpreet Singh said their respective teams are capable of beating any side in the world and will not be intimidated by high-ranking opponents.
The Olympic Test Event starts from Saturday here at the Oi Hockey Stadium and both the Indian men’s and women’s teams will be in action. Both the teams are preparing for the FIH Olympic Qualifiers, which are to be held in November later this year. The winners of the FIH Olympic Qualifiers will secure their place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The world No.5 men’s team is top-ranked at the Olympic Test Event and will be up against World No. 8 New Zealand, World No. 12 Malaysia and World No. 16 Japan. The side being led by Harmanpreet is without a few experienced players who have been rested for the tournament and the team will bank on the likes of the captain and his deputy Mandeep Singh for inspiration. “We have a great opportunity to test a younger bunch of players in the matches against Malaysia, Japan and New Zealand. They are good teams to play against and we are now adjusting well to our chief coach’s ideas,” Harmanpreet said. “It will be a good test for us but we are well-prepared and will go into every match with the intent to win it. It is a huge responsibility to have been given the captaincy, and I am looking forward to stepping up,” added the 23-year-old. (PTI)