New Delhi, 07 April 2015: Post winning the Hero Hockey World League Round 2, the Indian Women team today departed for New Zealand to face the challenge of the Hawke’s Bay Cup. Captained by Ritu Rani, the team is confident of the clashes ahead and are looking at giving a tough fight to the opponents. All set to meet China on the opening day of the tournament, the team is aware of their last meeting with them at the Asian Games 2014 and will look at avenging the defeat.

Speaking from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, Captain Ritu Rani said: “It’s a big and important tournament for the entire team. This tournament is a platform where we will get a chance to gauge our performance, how do we as a team deliver under pressure while facing stronger teams and going forward what are the areas that needs immediate attention. Our aim is a berth at the Rio Olympics and this is a step towards that”.

Speaking on the present team, Roelant Oltmans, Director High Performance, Hockey India said: “The team is all prepared for the tournament and we had enough time for the practice sessions. This is a good and important series before the Hockey World League Semi Final at Belgium. While all the teams are strong, we are taking each match and each opponent per day and a strategy to counter them on that particular day.”

The Hawke’s Bay Cup will be played from 11 April 2015 – 19 April 2015 and eight teams will be seen fighting it out for the title. India will play their first match against China at 6.00 AM IST on 11 April 2015. The matches will be LIVE Streamed on www.hockeyfestival.nz.