New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS) Indian girls’ hockey team chief coach Mathias Ahrens said here on Friday that his side has improved its skills and stamina during the preparatory camp for the seventh Junior Asia Cup to take place in Changzou, China, from September 5 to 13.
“We have a good team with good players who have the ability to give a good fight to any team. The Junior Asia Cup will be a tough competition as the best Asian teams like Japan, North Korea and China will participate in this tournament,” said Ahrens.
“The preparatory camp has improved the skills and stamina of the players. The camp has given players enough time for their recovery as well as working on their mistakes. We are expecting a good show from the team and positive results.”
India have been placed in Pool A with China, Malaysia, Singapore and North Korea in the nine-team event. They will play their first match against North Korea on September 5.
“The team and players are in good shape for the Junior Asian Cup. We have worked on various strategies during the ongoing preparation camp and are working to implement them during the tournament,” captain Rani Rampal said.
“We have good players such as Navjot Kaur, Deep Grace Ekka and Inderpreet Kaur, who are assets to the team. We are aiming to reach the final of the tournament and we will play with this goal.”
The Junior Asia Cup is a qualification tournament for the 2016 Junior World Cup.