The Indian hockey team will once again open its Women’s FIH World Cup 2022 Pool B campaign against England in Amstelveen, the Netherlands on July 3.
In the 2018 World Cup, India held England for a 1-1 draw in their opener but failed to progress beyond the pool stages.
After playing world No. 4 England on July 3, the Indian team, which is ranked ninth, will play world No. 14 China and world No. 8 New Zealand in Amstelveen on July 5 and 7, respectively.
The Indian women’s hockey team has not made it past the semi-finals since finishing fourth at the inaugural edition in 1974.
India qualified for the 15th edition of the Women’s FIH World Cup after finishing third at the Asia Cup 2022 and will fancy their chances against China and New Zealand.
Savita Punia, in the absence of Rani Rampal, led the women’s team to 7-1 and 2-1 wins against China in the FIH Pro League 2021-22 matches last month. The Indian women also enjoyed a successful five-match tour in New Zealand in 2020.
“Around two-three years ago, there used to be a concern in the team before facing stronger opponents,” India forward Navneet Kaur said. “But now, there is no fear in our team and we feel we are ready to face every challenge.
“Even if an opponent scores the first goal, we know we have the capability and skills to get things back in our favour,” Navneet added.
The Women’s FIH World Cup 2022 is co-hosted by Spain and Netherlands from July 1 to 17. The quadrennial showpiece event will have 16 countries from five confederations competing in four pools.
While the top teams from the four pools qualify directly for the quarter-finals, the second and third-placed teams will play crossovers for the remaining four spots.
The semi-finals and final will be played on July 16 and July 17, respectively.
Reigning champions and hosts in the Netherlands are in Pool A, which includes two-time champions Germany, 2018 finalists Ireland, and debutants Chile.
All timings are in Indian Standard Time (IST)
July 3, Sunday: India vs England – 9:00 PM IST
July 5, Tuesday: India vs China – 9:00 PM IST
July 7, Thursday: India vs New Zealand – 9:00 PM IST
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