Vandana Katariya web ST

Vandana Katariya Picture Credit: Twitter

India are all geared up for the 15th edition of the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup. The Women in Blue will take on England in their opening match of the tournament on July 3. Ahead of India’s first match, India’s star defender Vandana Katariya talked about India’s plans for the quadrennial event.

Katariya said that every match will be crucial for India and they won’t take any team lightly. The 30-year-old said that India won’t worry too much about the opponent and will try to focus on each quarter rather than focusing on the game as a whole. She also added that this plan has worked for India and that’s why they want to stick with it.

“Each match in the group stage will be crucial and we cannot take any team to be easy. The most important aspect for us is to be consistent in every single quarter and be the best we can without worrying too much about the opponent. This is something we have learnt over the years and it has really worked for us," said the experienced striker with over 250 international caps.

I hope fans show similar support as Tokyo Olympics: Vandana

The Indian defender further talked about India’s practice games and Chile and Ireland and said that those two games allowed India to get used to the fields. “We have played practice matches against Chile and Ireland. Both were very good as we were able to practice some tactical moves for the upcoming games and were able to get used to the field which is always easier when you train on it," said Vandana Katariya.

The 30-year-old Vandana Katariya then urged the fans to show a similar kind of support they showed during the Tokyo Olympics. “We got so much love and appreciation after we returned, and that meant a lot for us and it motivated us further to attain greater achievements. I hope the fans show us similar support and watch the matches live. We want to win a medal for the fans, for the country and end the wait for a medal in a prestigious global event,” added Vandana Katariya.