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A consistent unit will be India's vital cog against USA in race to Tokyo
In their attempt to ein the Olympics berth, the Indian women's hockey team is set to play a tie against a tricky USA side.
Come November 1 and 2, Indian hockey's most majestic destination, the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha will once again be abuzz with fan frenzy when the Indian men's and women's hockey team take the turf in their quest to seal berths for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The FIH Olympic Qualifiers will see both the national teams engaging in high-intensity duels in their bid to make it to the sports' grandest stage. While the Indian men's hockey team has been drawn against a comparatively easier Russian side and speculations are rife in the men in blue's favour, the women's team, ranked ninth in the world, is set to play their tie against a tricky USA side.
Ever since the women's team was drawn against USA, there have been debates whether India could overcome the challenge. The team's recent form lends an air of optimism in the camp, which is already in Bhubaneswar training ahead of the two decisive matches. Interestingly, this would be Rani Rampal & Co's first-ever match in the hallowed Kalinga Stadium, in fact, the team will be playing in their own backyard after quite a long gap.
The girls under the tutelage of Dutch coach Sjoerd Marijne, had quite a busy roster so far in 2019. Since the beginning of the calendar year, the women in blue, led by Rani Rampal, have been part of six tournaments. Starting their journey from Spain to their latest tour of Great Britain, the team tasted success going in their overall performances, winning six of the five tournaments and one ending as a draw. After a gap of 36 years, the Indian women’s team returned to the Olympic fold in Rio 2016. India will try to replicate their performance and ensure a berth at Tokyo 2020. The team now oozes confidence backed by their series of recent performances. Out of the 28 matches they have played so far in 2019, Rani’s team won 16, drew nine and lost only three.
India last played the Americans at the 2018 World Cup in London. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. The USA were in effect, a higher-ranked team that time but they have now slipped down the FIH ranking ladder and are currently placed in the 13th position- four places below India. The American girls finished last in the Pro League this year after managing to win just one out of their 16 matches. But even if you go by the numbers, India cannot write off their opponents just analysing their results against other teams.
India have played the USA on four occasions in top-tier tournaments -- the Olympics, World Cup and Hockey World League, but never managed a win. Apart from that, India couldn't manage to pick a win in eight other fixtures across Olympics qualifiers and World Cup playoffs. The overall head-to-head record also goes in favour of the USA with them winning 16 of the 29 matches been played between the two teams.
However, a lot has changed in the past one year, and India looks sharper and better tactic-wise. The team itself is in a good rhythm as most of the players selected for the Olympics Qualifiers have played together as a unit for a long time now. It is quite a well-settled team where players understand each other's game pretty well. Though India will miss it's long-time reliable defender Sunita Lakra owing to injury woes, it will be in charge of experienced Deep Grace Ekka and Reena Khokhar, alongside Salima Tete and one of the most valuable players in the squad, Gurjit Kaur. Gurjit has made her prominence felt in the team significantly with her incredible drag-flick abilities that have been an element of horror for opponents during penalty corners. In the goal, India will rest its faith on its long-serving keeper Savita Punia, who have proved her mettle time and again becoming the vital cog for the team on numerous occasions.
The midfield combination for India has remained unchanged from their tour of England, where they levelled the series with one win, three draws and a loss. With names like Sushila, Nikki, Lilima and Monika's presence in the squad, gives it an edge from both the flanks which will be crucial to go on a barrage of counter-attacks quickly.
India's success will be heavily reliant on its star-studded forward line, which haven't seen much change over the years. While captain Rani will be teaming up with Vandana, Navneet and Navjot, youngster Sharmila Devi, who is just seven-matches-old, will try to find a breakthrough. They will be joined by the Mizo sensation Lalremsiami, who is touted as one of the finest players in the team.
Coach Marijne has been able to get more consistency out of the team and winning the FIH Series Finals followed by Tokyo Test Event and a series draw against higher-ranked Great Britain (5th) makes the side look strong enough to put a dent on the American dream.
Team
Savita (Vice-Captain), Rajani Etimarpu, Deep Grace Ekka, Gurjit Kaur, Reena Khokhar, Salima Tete, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Nikki Pradhan, Monika, Neha Goyal, Lilima Minz, Namita Toppo, Rani Rampal(Captain), Vandana Katariya, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Navjot Kaur, Sharmila Devi
Format
The winners of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Odisha will qualify for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The winners will be determined as follows: teams will be ranked according to the number of points each has accumulated in both matches (for each match, 3 points are awarded to the winner, 1 point to each team in the event of a draw and 0 point to the loser). If there is equality among the two teams, then the teams will be ranked according to their respective goal difference. If the equality remains, a shoot-out competition will be played to establish the winner. Therefore, the objective of both the Indian Men’s and Indian Women’s Hockey Teams will be to secure direct qualification for the Tokyo 2020 hockey tournaments – which will be staged in Japan’s capital city from 25 July to 7 August next year and involve 12 Men’s and 12 Women’s teams.