After getting the better of China in two consecutive matches of their opening FIH Pro League 2022 encounters, the Indian women’s team will be facing Spain in two intriguing ties at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on February 26 and 27.
The team, led by Rani Rampal, is all pumped up to give a tough fight to Spain in their upcoming matches. The Indian team has been selected for the prestigious tournament for the first time and the players are leaving no stones unturned in their preparations. As many as nine teams are locking horns with each other to vie for the top honours in the mega event, the matches of which are organised at different parts of the globe.
Currently, the Indian team is training at the Kalinga Stadium. Rampal exuded confidence about the players’ abilities to put up a fighting performance against Spain.
“Our players are physically and mentally in good shape after a stupendous performance against China. We have been accustomed to the challenges at Kalinga Stadium. We are confident of good performances in our upcoming matches against Spain,” said Rampal.
Senior Odisha player Deep Grace Ekka said the team is determined to continue the momentum they had created at the Tokyo Olympics.
“We have also identified our mistakes and worked hard on those. Hopefully, it will reflect in our performance in the upcoming matches,” said Ekka.
Notably, the Dutch women’s hockey team has pulled out of its back-to-back FIH Pro League matches against India to be played in Bhubaneswar on February 19 and 20 due to rise in Covid-19 cases in the Netherlands, especially the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus.