Potchefstroom: Their dream of
winning a maiden FIH Junior Women's Hockey World Cup title shattered, India
need to lift their morale quickly to match their best-ever third place finish
when they take on England in the Bronze medal tie here on Tuesday.
India had a memorable campaign
in the tournament till the semifinals, where they lost 0-3 to three-time
champions, the Netherlands.
India had an unbeaten run in
the pool stages, which include a 2-1 win over Germany, a side which will play
the Dutch in the title clash.
But the title chance now out
of their grasp, the Indians would look to at least finish on the podium, like
they did in the 2013 edition in Monchengladbach, Germany.
Back in the 2013 women's
Junior World Cup, it was the Netherlands who had defeated India 3-0 in the
semifinals and the Indian team, led by Sushila Chanu, then had faced England in
the Bronze medal tie, which they eventually won after a tense shootout.
But it remains to be seen
whether the Salima Tete-led side can recreate the 2013 script on Tuesday.
Tete was visibly disappointed
with the team's effort against the Netherlands.
"We are quite
disappointed from our match against Netherlands. We created so many chances but
could not convert. It just felt like it wasn't our day," she said.
But the skipper said the
semifinal is a thing of the past now.
"There is no point
thinking about what's happened in the past. Now we need to be focused on the
upcoming match against England.
"Getting off to a good
start against them will definitely give us the right momentum and that is what
we will be looking for against them," Tete said.
India would be banking heavily
on Lalremsiami, Sharmila Devi and Mumtaz Khan, who is India's top-scorer with
six goals, to deliver the goods upfront.
England, on the other hand,
will be low on confidence after the 0-8 drubbing at the hands of Germany in the
semifinal.
But vice-captain Ishika
Chaudhary reiterated that India can't afford to let go off chances against
England.
"England is a good side
and we watched videos from their previous matches. I just feel it is important
for us to be focused on our game and ensure we score from the chances we create
and be tight in our defending.
"It's important we don't allow space for them and we must play to our strengths," said Chaudhary. (PTI)
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