Cricket World Cup: Netherlands arrive in Kolkata ahead of match against Bangladesh

The Indian women will want to demonstrate their true talent at the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT), with the disappointment of not winning the gold medal at the Asian Games still fresh in their memories. On Friday, India plays their first game of the season in Ranchi against Thailand.

In the Asian Games women's hockey semi-finals in Hangzhou, India fell to China 0–4 but triumphed over Japan 2-1 to secure the bronze medal.

For the Indians, who began as favorites and were hoping for a gold at the Asian Games to get a straight entry to the Olympics in Paris the following year, the bronze was a disappointing outcome.

In a virtual conversation on Thursday, captain Savita Punia said to The Telegraph, "We were confident of winning the gold." "We were not overconfident, but we were well-prepared.

But sometimes, things don't go as planned. It occurs. We couldn't play to our best in the semi-final matchup with China, and when we realized we were going to lose and wouldn't be able to guarantee an Olympic spot, our performance further declined.

"However, that is all in the past, and we were all eager to start over."

The event will include six teams: Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Japan, and the hosts, India. The six teams will compete against one another in a round-robin league round, with the top four teams moving on to the semifinals.

Janneke Schopman, the head coach of India, has selected a team that has been tried and proven. The only player missing from the Asian Games roster is veteran midfielder Sushila Chanu, who is believed to have injured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Sushila has been replaced in the team by Baljeet Kaur.

Along with Sharmila Devi, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, who was also a member of the Asian Games team, has been selected as a substitute player and will accompany the squad as a backup.

India will face Malaysia on October 28, China on October 30, Japan on October 31, and Korea on November 2 after their match against Thailand. November 4 and 5 are the dates set for the semifinals and championship.

With the exception of one poor day against China in the semi-finals, the Indians were almost flawless in the Asian Games, and they would like to get over that setback and start over in the ACT.

"Our coach, Janeke Schopman, allowed us a day to cry, be depressed, and get over our defeat to China.

She said, "We have to meet and decide on our next line of action starting the next day. To place on the podium, we needed to overcome Japan. Punia said, "We did and won the bronze.

Senior player and vice captain Deep Grace Ekka shared her opinions. Yes, we were very shaken by the defeat and our inability to earn a direct ticket to Paris. However, our focus was on the medal we still needed to win. We were able to obtain it.

Punia said, "This tournament will also help us prepare for the Ranchi-hosted Paris 2024 Olympics Qualifiers." This competition is an essential practice run.

Chief coach of India Schopman concurred with Savita. It's a fantastic chance to play these games before the Olympic qualifying tournament. It enables us to observe the other teams and evaluate the way that players carry out their designated tasks.

After seven years, India will also try to win their second Asian Champions Trophy for women.