Indian women's hockey team prepares for battle of Paris Olympics berth

Indian women's hockey team will be walking into their fortress at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf in Ranchi when they take on the USA in the first match of the FIH Olympic Qualifiers.

Putting behind the disappointment of finishing third at the Asian Games and building on the title win at the Asian Champions Trophy, the Indian team will look to cash in the home advantage to secure the ticket to Paris.

Hosts India, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Japan, the US, Chile, and New Zealand are the eight teams vying for the top three slots here to book their Paris berths.

The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11 this year.

World number five Germany is the highest-ranked team in the tournament, while India is a rung below in sixth.

India is placed in Pool B alongside New Zealand, Italy, and the United States, while Germany, former Asian Games champions Japan, Chile, and the Czech Republic are in Pool A.

Opponents of India in Pool Stage

The USA: India faces a tricky opponent in the form of the USA in their first game. While the historical data with a head-to-head record of 9-4 favours the Americans, India has defeated them comprehensively in the last two meetings.

Currently placed at 15th in world rankings, the USA will be a tough start for India and they will have to be cautious.

Italy: One of the least experienced sides of the tournament, World number 19 Italy won't be a big problem for India but the Team Azzure from Europe can prove tricky with their pace.

New Zealand: The Black Sticks will be India's trickiest opponents on the pool stage. Ranked number 9 in the world, New Zealand has been a consistent performer at the world level and is coming with the experience of the FIH Pro League.

India won the last encounter between both teams in the bronze medal match of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

However, the win came in the penalty shootout and India lost to them in Hockey World Cup 2022 4-3. India is yet to beat NZ in regular time.

Absence of Vandana Katariya and Drag flick conundrum

India will enter the tournament without the three most experienced players of the team: Vandana Katariya, Gurjit Kaur, and Deep Grace Ekka creating two major problems for the host nation.

Vandana was ruled out of the tournament due to a cheekbone injury. In the absence of Vandana, India doesn't have an important goal scorer in the forward line.

In Vandana's absence, the onus will be on the likes of Lalresiami, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, and Baljeet to deliver the goods in the forward line, while the defence will be managed by Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, and Monika.

The absence of Gurjit Kaur and Deep Grace Ekka points to the lack of drag-flicking options for the Indian team.

Since the 2022 Hockey World Cup, conversion of the penalty corner has been one of the biggest weaknesses of this Indian team. India's dismal performance at the Hockey World Cup was powered by the fact that India failed to convert chances from the top of the circle.

Youngster Deepika is the designated drag-flicker of the team in the absence of Gurjit and Deep and Janneke Schopman said that players like Navneet are sharing the responsibility.

Just before this tournament, the drag flickers had a short stint with former India stalwart Rupinderpal Singh, which should hold them in good stead in the coming matches.

The Indian women had wasted plenty of penalty corners in the tournaments since winning the Asian Champions Trophy here, including in the Asian Games.

"Rupinder has the expertise as he is an experienced player. He knows the pressure on the top of 'D'. It was a great help for the likes of Gurjit Kaur and Deepika to fine-tune their skills. I am very happy with that," Schopman said.

With Savita Punia leading from the front, the Indian team had a rollercoaster journey post 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the Olympic qualifiers will be very crucial part of the journey for the team.