Rani Rampal sees Korea series as platform to prepare for FIH Women series Finals

The team left for Korea Saturday morning and Rani said it will be a good opportunity to prepare for the forthcoming FIH Women’s Series Finals in Hiroshima.

On a comeback trail, Indian women’s hockey team skipper Rani Rampal is expecting high-intensity action in the three-match series against hosts Korea, starting in Jinchun from Monday.

Indian women's hockey captain Rani Rampal in action during a match against England at Vitality Hockey Women's Hockey World Cup 2018, in London on July 21, 2018. (PTI)

Rani had missed the previous Malaysia series due to a shoulder injury along with drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur, who had a hamstring issue.

The team left for Korea Saturday morning and Rani said it will be a good opportunity to prepare for the forthcoming FIH Women’s Series Finals in Hiroshima.

“This will be an important series for myself and Gurjit because we are coming back after rehabilitation. Playing high-intensity matches will put us in the right rhythm before we set off for the FIH Women’s Series Finals,” said Rani.

“There have been some different things we have tried in this recent national camp in terms of creating variations inside the circle. We will get to try and test these methods against this strong team and basis how we execute these changes we can plan better for the next big tournament,” added Rani.

The Women’s Series Finals Hiroshima 2019 is scheduled to be held from 15 to 23.

At the start of the year, the Indian team had toured Spain in January-February, competing against the host nation and Ireland. They finished with record two wins, three draws and a loss.

The team also embarked on a Malaysia Tour in April and remained unbeaten, winning four matches and drawing one.