After a 1-1 draw in the opener against hosts England at the Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup London 2018, the Rani-led squad will take on Ireland in its second Pool B match on Thursday at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Stadium.

India, who took a lead in the 25th minute through Neha Goyal, looked confident to seal the win, but a goal by Lily Owsley with seven minutes to go for the final hooter, brought the hosts back to the match and India settled for a draw.

“I think it was a great match, a good start for us. There are so many positives that we can draw from that match which will help us in the upcoming matches in the tournament. I don’t think we surprised with our performance because we have done well against England in the past and this time we went for a win,” said Rani.

Ireland, had won its opener 3-1 against USA and are leading Pool B. Ahead of the match against Ireland, she said, “We have watched videos from Ireland’s match against USA and credit goes to them for a good start and good defending to hold their lead till the end.

In the three days rest that we have had, we played few practice matches among ourselves to try out different methods in goal scoring and keep up the momentum. We need to make a good start against Ireland and keep up the pressure on them. We are confident and ready for the next challenge.”