New Delhi, 15 April 2015: The Indian Women Hockey team is all set for a clash against the hosts New Zealand tomorrow at the Hawke’s Bay Cup. Having given a tough fight to Australia yesterday wherein they showcased their strong defence wherein they did not allow the opponents to score against them. On the other hand the forwards to created opportunities for themselves giving the Australians moments of panic but were unfortunate that they could not convert resulting in a draw. Yesterday’s match will act as a huge motivation for the team and they will look at replicating the performance when they meet New Zealand tomorrow.

India would be looking at avenging their defeat against New Zealand where both the teams had met during the XX Commonwealth Games. Since then the Indian team has come a long way in terms of performance and form on the field and will aim to give a tough fight to the opponents.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’ clash Captain Ritu Rani said, “Our clash against Australia was tough as they are a strong team but the positives that came out was the manner in which we held them at bay. Goalkeeping was at its best yesterday and we will be looking at showcasing the same play tomorrow. What needs to click is converting the opportunities. Had we capitalised on the Penalty Stroke against Australia then the story would have been different. Yesterday’s performance has boosted the girls and we are looking forward to tomorrow’s clash. They are again a strong team but we are confident of a better result”

Speaking on the clash tomorrow, Roelant Oltmans, Director High Performance, Hockey India said, “This is a bunch of skilful players who have the hunger to learn and grow. This, they have proved in the last six months. Tomorrow’ aim will be to first break the defence chain, maintain the ball possession and pounce on the opportunities. The idea is to keep it simple and not allow pressure to take the better of them”.

India will play New Zealand tomorrow (16th April 2015) at 1130 IST. The matches will be LIVE Streamed on www.hockeyfestival.nz.