“It has certainly been great to be back on the pitch, however, we still have to be careful about not pushing too much. All the players are gaining confidence with every session of sports activities which is a great sign for us. It’s been a difficult time for all of us and therefore we are very grateful to Hockey India for providing everything we require during this time. From the top-class safety measures to fantastic facilities, Hockey India and SAI have tremendously helped us.” said Gurjit.

While speaking about the preparations for the Olympics, the Defender said that the Indian team players will have to remember all the right things they did against top teams in the recent past.

“After competing well against top teams last year and winning a big tournament such as the FIH Women’s Series Finals, the players in our team have started believing in themselves much more. It will be very important for us to remember all the right things we did against the top teams and build on our game in the upcoming months. We have to peak at the right time for us to perform well at the Olympics,” said the 25-year-old.

Gurjit, who has been one of the key members of the Indian team in the last few years, said that she has enjoyed the responsibility of being a drag-flicker.

“I have really enjoyed being the drag-flicker in the Indian team. It’s a big responsibility and I have relished it completely. It’s important for us to cash in on penalty corners as much as we can, especially against the top teams. I have always tried to better my technique and hone my skill further. Hopefully, I will be able to contribute to the best of my abilities at the Olympics,” said the drag-flicker.

Credit Reference- Link

The post We are gaining confidence with every session of sports activities, says Indian Women’s Hockey Team Defender Gurjit Kaur first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

Below are the highlights of the match:

Quarter 1- The first quarter started with both the teams finding ways to score a goal first and team Ireland did it first in the 10th minute thereby making the score IND 0-1 IRE at the end of the first quarter.

Quarter 2 – The second quarter team India was focused on scoring a goal to equalize the score, but missed and the score at the end of the first half remained the same at IND 0-1 IRE.

Quarter 3 – In the third quarter, team India got a PC and Reet nailed it by scoring a goal in the 35th minute, thereby making the score IND 1-1 IRE.

Quarter 4 – In the last quarter, PC was awarded to team Ireland but they missed it. In the next minutes, Sharmilla of team India strengthen the lead with a great shot by making the score IND 2-1 IRE and won the match.

The next match of the series will be against Scottland on 3rd June at 18:00 hrs IST.

Keep watching this space for further updates of the match.

The post Jr. Women’s Team India Won Another Match of Cantor Fitzgerald U21 International Series first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

The post Jr. Women’s Hockey Team India Won the Opening Match of the Cantor Fitzgerald U21 International Tournament first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

Below are the highlights of the match:

Quarter 1 – The first quarter started with both the teams looking out for the ways to score a goal first. However, the team Ireland did it early in the 7th minute making the score IND 0-1 IRE.

Quarter 2 – Again the team Ireland got the PC to strengthen their lead but saved by team India’s goalkeeper Bichu Devi. India juniors, along with playing defensive gave great shots but missed, and the score at the end of the first half remained the same at IND 0-1 IRE.

Quarter 3 – In the third quarter, Sharmila of team India finally managed to score the first goal by giving a brilliant shot and equalizing the score. In the next minutes, PC was awarded to team India to strengthen the lead but missed. In the last minutes, team Ireland gave another shot at the goal and made it with another back to back goal and made the score IND 1-3 IRE at the end of the third quarter.

Quarter 4 – In the last quarter, again, the team Ireland got the PC, and there was another goal. Team India played well but missed the match this time at a score IND 1-4 IRE.

The Jr. team will play the second match against Jr. Women Team Canada on 29th May 20:30 hrs (IST).

Keep watching this space for the further updates of the matches.

The post Indian Jr. Women Hockey Team Lost the Match Against Sr. Women Team Ireland first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

Below are the highlights of the match.

Quarter 1 – In the first quarter, team Korea earned the first PC in the early minutes and gave a great shot at the goal by saved by Savita. Another PC to team Korea but no goal was recorded. In the next minutes, team India got the PC but missed the goal. Both the teams gave best shots but missed and the score at the end of Quarter 1 was IND 0-0 KOR.

Quarter 2 – In the second quarter, again the PC was awarded to team Korea, but team India played defensive to avoid any loss. The Korean team finally managed to score a goal in the 29^th minute, thereby making the score IND 0-1 KOR at the end of the first half.

Quarter 3 – Team India was seeking out goal scoring opportunities, but again the team Korea scored a goal with another back to bach goal making the score IND 0-3 KOR at the end of the third quarter.

Quarter 4 – In the final quarter, team India gave another great shot but missed unfortunately and the hosts gave another shot at the goal and recorded a goal again. In spite of trying hard, team India lost this time at a score of IND 0-4 KOR.

At the end of the series, the Chief coach said that the Korean team is good than ours, but the performance the Indian team gave in the first two matches was good. She added that we are improving and will continue to improve to give the best in the upcoming FIH finals in Hiroshima.

Keep watching this space for more updates of the upcoming matches.

The post India Sr. Women’s Hockey Team Lost the Third Match but Won the Series with a Lead first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

Below are the highlights of the match:

Quarter 1- The first quarter started with a PC to team Korea, but they missed the goal scoring opportunity. In the next minutes, team India got a chance to score a goal first by getting a PC and a great shot was made but saved by opposing goalkeeper. Both the teams were looking out for goal scoring opportunities to break the deadlock first, but in spite of trying hard, both the teams were unable to score a goal and the first quarter ended at a score IND 0-0 KOR.

Quarter 2- In the early minutes of the second quarter, team Korea gave a great shot at a goal and broke the deadlock first in the 19th minute. Indian players gave great shots as well to equalize the score but missed and the score at the end of the first half was IND 0-1 KOR.

Quarter 3- In the third quarter, team India was giving their best shots starting from the opening minutes and finally a goal by Captain Rani Rampal in the 37th minute. Then, PC was awarded to team Korea but they missed and team India took a deep breath and the score at the end of the third quarter was IND 1-1 KOR.

Quarter 4- In the last quarter, both the teams were aggressive to take the lead and finally a goal by Navjot in the 50th minute giving team India a lead. Team Korea kept on giving great shots, but team India showed defensive skills and saved. So, the team India kept the lead and won this match too with a score IND 2-1 KOR.

Well Done Team India! Looking forward to excellent performance in the upcoming matches as well.

Keep watching this space for further updates of the matches.

The post Women’s Team India Won the Second Match Too of Three Day Match Series at Korea first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

The team will first head towards Dublin to play two-day match series on 28th and 29th May’19. The first match will be with the Irish National team and the second one with Canada Jr. Women’s team. Then the next four day series scheduled to be held at Baranovichi, Belarus from 31st May to 4th June with four nations participating in the matches named India, Ireland, Canada and Scottland.

After this, the team will play a match on 6th June’19 against Irish National team followed by five-day match series scheduled to start from 9th June’19 in Belarus.

Below are the details of the team.

Goalkeepers – Bichu Devi Kharibam and Khushboo

Defenders – Ishika Chaudhary, 4. Suman Devi Thoudam (Captain), Priyanka, Mahima Choudhary, Simran Singh and Gagandeep Kaur (Vice-Captain)

Midfielders – Preeti, Mariana Kujur, Chetna, Ajmina Kujur and Baljeet Kaur

Forwards – Mumtaz Khan, Beauty Dungdung, Sharmila Devi, Reet and Lalrindiki

Upon the selection of the team, coach of Indian Jr. Women’s Team, Baljeet Singh said that the team is all set to compete against the stronger teams of the world. The selection is based on keeping all the crucial things in mind and hoping for the excellent performance in the upcoming matches.

All the Best Team India!

Keep watching this space for further updates to the matches.

The post 18-Member Women’s Junior Hockey Team India is All Set for Cantor Fitzgerald U21 International 4-Nations Tournament first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

Below are the highlights of the match:

Quarter 1 – In the first quarter team, India got the PC in the early minutes of the game. After some fantastic shots, finally a goal by Lalremsiami in the 11th minute. Team Korea also gave great shots at the goal by team India saved them all by showing their defensive skills and the score at the end of the first quarter was IND 1-0 KOR.

Quarter 2 – In the second quarter, team India was seeking for another goal scoring opportunities to strengthen their lead, but missed. Team Korea also seemed aggressive to get a lead, but all the great shots were saved. India got the second PC and gave a fantastic shot by Korean Goalkeeper saved it to avoid any further loss. So, in quarter two, both the teams were unable to score a goal, and the scoreline remained same at IND 1-0 KOR in the first half.

Quarter 3 – Team Korea got the PC at the beginning of the third quarter and a great shot too, but unfortunately it was off the target, and no goal was scored. In the next minutes, team India makes a great circle entry and again a goal in the 40th minute, this time by Navneet making the score IND 2-0 KOR at the end of the third quarter.

Quarter 4 – In the last quarter, team Korea got the PC and finally a goal by Shin Hyejeong in the 48th minute. Another PC to team Korea but team India’s played defensive well and didn’t let them score a goal and the last quarter ended with India leading the match with a score of IND 2-1 KOR.

Well done team India!

The next match is scheduled for 22nd May 2019 at 11:30 hrs (IST).

Keep watching this space for further updates of the match.

The post India Sr. Women Hockey Team Won the First Match of the Korea Tour first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

With the great victories the previous international tours of the years, the team is confident to perform best in this tour as well and in the FIH Women’s Series Finals 2019 scheduled to held at Hiroshima. Major players Rani and Gurjit were missing in the Malaysia tour are finally back in this tour after recovering from the injury.

According to Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne, the team got great opportunities this year to prepare well for the FIH finals. She added that the return of Rani and Gurjit will surely help the team to perform better in this series and improve the mistakes that the team had in the previous international series.

Below is the list of players:

Goalkeepers – Savita Punia (Vice-Captain) and Rajani Etimarpu

Defenders – Salima Tete, Sunita Lakra, Deep Grace Ekka, Karishma Yadav, Gurjit Kaur, and Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam

Midfielders – Monika, Navjot Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Neha Goyal, and Lilima Minz

Forwards – Rani Rampal(Captain), Vandana Katariya, Lalremsiami, Jyoti, Navneet Kaur

Keep watching this space for further updates.

The post 18 Member Women’s Hockey Team India is Finalised for Republic Of Korea Tour 2019 first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

Below are the highlights of the match:

Quarter 1 – In the very first quarter the PC was awarded to team India. Great shots were made at the goal but saved by the opposing team. Vandana gave great shots at the goal but missed and finally the first goal was by Navneet in the 12th minute. The score at the end of the 1st quarter was INDIA 1-0 MALAYSIA.

Quarter 2 – In the second quarter, Vandana did a great shot again without a miss and scored a goal in the 20th minute making the score INDIA 2-0 MALAYSIA. Followed by this, Navneet did another goal in the 29th minute by making the opposing team aggressive for goals. So with the end of the first half, the score was INDIA 3-0 MALAYSIA.

Quarter 3 – In the third quarter, both the team were finding out ways to score a goal. Great shots were given but no goal was scored by both the teams and the score remained 3-0 at the end of this quarter.

Quarter 4 – In the fourth quarter, 2 consecutive goals were scored by Lalremsiami and Nikki Pradhan in the 54th and 55th minute respectively. So the overall score comes out to be INDIA 5-0 MALAYSIA.

So, that’s all about the highlights of the match. Well done Team India!

Though the team wins the match, the Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne said that the performance of the team was good but there is still a room for improvement as there were technical mistakes in the game. Hoping to improve those in the upcoming matches.

The next match will be on 8th April’19 at 17:35 hrs (Indian Standard Time)

The post Another Win by Women Hockey Team India against Malaysia by 5-0 Score first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.