NEW DELHI, April 30: The Indian women�s hockey squad will leave for England on Sunday to face the hosts in a five-match series that will boost their Olympic preparations.
The team led by centre-half Ritu Rani will look to learn from the mistakes from the Hawke�s Bay Cup where it finished sixth.
Chief coach Neil Hawgood, his coaching staff and senior members of the squad, have singled out penalty corners for special attention in their preparatory camp. �It isn�t just winning and converting corners that has been singled out, but also not giving away too many to our opposition,� Hawgood said.
If India, ranked 13th on the world, are to outplay sixth-ranked England, they will need to pay special attention to this for the entire duration of the match. It will also help that experienced campaigner Ritu will feature in the squad after missing the Hawke�s Bay Cup through injury. It is an inclusion that will provide a boost to the side.
India need to look to start games strongly. �At the Hawke�s Bay Cup, we lost our game against Japan because we conceded three goals in three minutes. After that it was 1-0 to us. We don�t start well and that puts the pressure on us,� admitted Ritu Rani. � IANS
