POTCHEFSTROOM (South Africa), Apr 11: 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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