Muscat, Jan 30 (Hockey News) The Indian women's hockey team will look to build on its bronze medal-winning showing in the Asia Cup when the side makes its debut in the FIH Pro League, chief coach Janneke Schopman and captain Savita said on Sunday.

India won the bronze medal in the continental tournament after beating China 2-0 in the third-place match and will open their FIH campaign against the same team.

India are scheduled to play two matches against China on Monday and Tuesday in Muscat, Oman.

"We are excited to start our Pro League campaign and look to build on our performance in the Asia Cup by hopefully creating and converting our opportunities as well as having a clinical defense," Schopman said.

"China has shown to be a good team here in the Asia Cup. While they did not finish in the top three, their game stats show that they were even to all top 3 teams," she added.

Savita, who will continue to lead the team in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021/22 matches against China, too said that they would look to build on their recent performances.

"We not only managed to qualify for the FIH Hockey Women's World Cup in Spain and Netherlands but also earned a podium finish. We are happy with how the team is shaping up and are looking forward to building upon the same in the upcoming matches," Savita said.

"It was a good tournament for us to not only get an understanding of our opponents, but also learn how the team reacts in certain situations on the field, and how we can replicate what we are learning in the training.

"We are eager to play in the FIH Hockey Pro League for the first time and continue to improve and gain confidence," she added. 

Also Read : Women's Asia Cup hockey: India beat China 2-0 to win consolation bronze

News Source : PTI