LONDON: Having worked extensively to iron out the chinks in their armour, India will aim for a strong showing in the European leg of the Women’s Hockey Pro League, beginning with its clash against Australia here on Saturday.
Currently ranked sixth with nine points, India will face Australia on June 14 and 15, followed by back-to-back matches against Argentina on June 17 and 18.
The team will then travel to Antwerp on June 19 for two games against Belgium, scheduled for June 21 and 22, before concluding the European leg with matches against China on June 28 and 29 in Berlin.
“We have worked in every department. But the two departments I am focussing on because it is result oriented are -- goalkeeping and drag flicking,” chief coach Harendra Singh told reporters.
Singh also revealed that drag flickers Deepika and Manisha underwent a 10-day specialised camp with renowned Dutch drag-flick expert Toon Siepman ahead of the tour.
“For drag flicking, Deepika and Manisha trained under Toon Siepman, who has years of experience coaching some of the world’s top players,” Singh said.
“We also worked on improving our injectors and stoppers. Earlier, five girls were rotating in those roles, but now we’ve narrowed it down to three.”
India will look to build on the momentum gained during the India leg of the Pro League in February, where it held world No. 1 Netherlands to a 2-2 draw in Bhubaneswar and earned a bonus point via shootout.