The Indian women’s hockey team will face hosts England in their third Pool A match at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, following a thrilling start to the competition.
India, led by Savita, began the campaign with a convincing 5-0 victory over Ghana, and then defeated Wales 3-1.
The English women, on the other hand, began their tournament with a 12-0 thrashing of Ghana before defeating Canada 1-0 in the second game. The hosts, England, enter the game against India at the top of Pool A due to a higher goal difference.
Indian captain Savita said ahead of the game, “England is a strong team, and they have home advantage in Birmingham. It will be a difficult match for us, but we have been in good form after our first two victories.”
The two teams were in Pool A at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and finished as the top two, with India taking second place due to goal difference. India defeated England (2-1) in Pool A but was defeated 6-0 in the Bronze Medal playoff. Janneke Schopman’s team recently held England to a 1-1 draw in Pool B of the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain and Netherlands 2022.
“We’ve played England a few times recently, so both teams are familiar with each other. They’ve also won a couple of big games against us, so they’re a strong team, but we’ve done our homework and it’ll all come down to getting the basics right on the day. It’s a crucial game in the competition, and we’re laser-focused on our goals.” On Monday, Savita stated.
India and England have a long history of rivalry, with one of the most memorable games taking place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics last year. India, led by Rani, had the tournament of their lives, punching far above their weight and finishing fourth. However, Great Britain had India’s number at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“We are not dwelling on the past and intend to put our best foot forward in the game on Tuesday. For us, it’s one game at a time. We’ve been playing an attacking style of hockey in recent years, and we’d like to continue in that vein against England “Savita took note.
On Tuesday, August 2, Savita and India will take the field for their Pool A match against England at 1830 IST. The game will be broadcast live on Sony Ten 3, Sony Six, and the Sony LIV OTT platform on Sony Ten 3.
