Women's Junior Asia Cup Hockey: India to open campaign against Korea

New Delhi: Led by midfielder Khaidem Shileima Chanu, the Indian women's hockey team will open its campaign against South Korea in the AHF Women's Junior Asia Cup, to be held in Moqi, China, from September 4 to 13.

The 18-member squad has undergone extensive preparations under newly appointed coach Tim White, including an exposure tour of the United Kingdom earlier this summer.

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India have been drawn in the Elite Pool alongside hosts China, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia. The teams will battle for the top positions before the tournament moves into the knockout stage, culminating in the gold-medal match on September 13.

White said the team's preparations in Bengaluru had gone according to plan, with the players gaining valuable match experience against a combined India A side.

"The team is very excited to leave for China tomorrow for the Asia Cup. Our preparation has been good, including important matches against a combined India A team, which came to Bangalore for four matches. We will go to China confident that we have built a game plan which can be hard to play against, and we are very excited to test that against the best teams in Asia," said White.

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India had toured the UK from July 5 to 14, training and playing matches in Edinburgh and Lilleshall. The side played seven games against Scotland's senior women's team as well as the junior teams of the United States, England, and Belgium.

India registered a commanding 6-0 win over the United States and followed it with back-to-back 2-0 victories against England. They also edged the USA in a shootout after a 1-1 draw, winning 3-2 on penalties in a closely contested rematch.

The tour also provided the young Indian side with valuable experience against Scotland's more seasoned senior team and a strong Belgium U-21 outfit.

After facing South Korea, India will take on Malaysia on September 6, Japan on September 8, and host China on September 9 in the Junior Asia Cup.