The Indian women's hockey team left the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi for Argentina on Sunday. This will be the first round of the national team in almost a year. India Hockey Company also selected the 25-member Indian Hockey Team for the tour. The Indian team is scheduled to play two games against Argentina (Junior) on January 17 and 19, two games against Argentina B on January 22 and 24, and four matches against Argentina on January 26, 28, 30, and 31. Indian hockey and the host national league have created a biological bubble in Argentina for both the Argentina women's team and the Indian women's team. The Indian women hockey team will be staying in a hotel where separate team rooms have been provided for all meals, team meetings, sessions, etc.“It feels great to be on the road again. We have worked hard on our game for the past few months and it is time to put our skills to live in an international match. Playing in international matches will be a bit different at this point.” Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal said in at Statement: "We will be in a biological bubble, and the team is excited to return to the field in the best possible way at this time."The entire Indian group underwent a Covid-19 RT-PCR test 72 hours before leaving New Delhi. Although there are no quarantine requirements upon arrival in Argentina, the team will continue to comply with all health and safety measures recommended by the governments of India and Argentina, according to Hockey India in an official statement.The deputy captain and goalkeeper of the Indian women's hockey team, Savita, thanked Hockey India and SAI for organizing the tour of Argentina.We desperately need to return to a competitive situation where there is not much time left for the Olympics. We have been doing well in the training sessions, but the international match is always the real test for any athlete. Therefore, we would like to thank Savita: “India Hockey and SAI for their efforts. In organizing a tour for us. We are looking forward to a great game and we hope to start playing with all our energy from the first match. "The 25-member Indian Women's Hockey squad: Rani (Captain), Savita (Vice-Captain), Rajani Etimarpu, Bichu Devi Kharibam, Gurjit Kaur, Deep Grace Ekka, Rashmita Minz, Manpreet Kaur, Reena Khokhar, Monika, Nikki Pradhan, Vandana Katariya, Navneet Kaur, Navjot Kaur, Jyoti, Udita, Rajwinder Kaur, Salima Tete, Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Lilima Minz, Neha Goyal, Namita Toppo, Lalremsiami, Sharmila Devi.Also Read: THE 47TH FIH STATUTORY CONGRESS WILL HAPPEN IN DELHI
The Indian men's volleyball team maintained its strong performance, moving through to the quarterfinals of the Asian Games with a decisive 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei on Friday. After their incredible victory against South Korea, India defeated Chinese Taipei in three straight games by scores of 25-22, 25-22, and 25-21 to go to the playoffs for the 1-6th place. On Sunday, India will take on either Kazakhstan or Japan.They play quickly and have experience. The first two sets were won by them, but our team responded effectively and quickly gained control, said India captain Vinit to media after the match."We expected a four-setter, but our team played well with man-to-man marking and improved a lot," he continued. Early on, India was down 6-10, but Erin Varghese helped the team close the difference to 11-13.India had been trailing for the whole of the match until it finally tied the score at 21-21. Varghese and Ashwal Rai then won the next two points to give India the lead. In the second set, India took an early 3-0 lead, but Chinese Taipei eventually tied the match at 17-17. However, India gained ground in the waning seconds with a string of scores to end the match 25-22. India got off to a good start in the championship game, leading 10-4 at one point.Chinese Taipei managed to narrow it down to 10-12 before drawing level at 14-14.India, however, moved ahead to 21-18 before sealing it comfortably 25-21."Pakistan also had defeated them (Chinese Taipei) 3-0, so we were under pressure to defeat them," assistant coach Jaideep Sarkar said.With back-to-back wins over Korea and Chinese Taipei, this is a good morale-booster ahead of our match against Japan," he said."We are not inferior to anyone. Japan are a good side and we expect a tough contest," he added.
