"Youngsters have improved a lot...": Indian hockey veteran Vandana on Asian Champions Trophy preparations

New Delhi [India], October 21 : Ahead of the women's Asian Champions Trophy this year, Indian women's hockey forward Vandana Katariya said that the youngsters in the team have improved a lot and expressed hope in the team to defend the title.
Vandana was speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the final of the Hockey India Senior Women Inter-Departmental National Championship 2024, between her side Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) and the Indian Oil Ltd.
On the women's Asian Champions Trophy, taking place in Bihar in November, Vandana told ANI, "The preparations are going good. Youngsters have improved a lot. We have worked a lot on our fitness as well. We are training well. We expect to do well."
The Women's Asian Champions Trophy will be hosted in the city of Rajgir in Bihar. The event will be a joint venture between Hockey India and the Bihar Government and will be held at the newly-developed Rajgir Hockey Stadium from November 11 to 20.
India is the most successful team in its history with two titles and will be defending the trophy against China, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Thailand.
Vandana was also highly optimistic about the return of the highly-anticipated Hockey India League (HIL), saying that it will give youngsters a great platform to showcase themselves and help in unearthing new talent that could wear the national team colours in future.
"We are really excited for it. It is happening for the first time ever. It will uplift Indian hockey and give a chance to youngsters to showcase their skills. It will help give Indian new faces. Every player dreams of playing for India," said Vandana, who was brought by Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers for Rs 10.5 lakh during the recently conducted player auction for the league.
She hailed the league as a big step taken by Hockey India, which will help in improving the skillset of players and expressed hope it would help Indian women's team get its hands on an Olympic medal as well.
"Players will be able to showcase their skills. In coming years, we will have many tournaments before Olympics. It is important we perform well, tournament by tournament and match by match," she added.
The revamped HIL 2024-25 will feature 8 men's teams and 6 women's teams, marking the first standalone women's league in the country that will run concurrently with the men's competition. In its previous edition back in 2017, Kalinga Lancers had become the champion, beating Dabang Mumbai for the title.
The league will get underway on December 28 with matches played in two venues -- Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, Jharkhand, and Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha. The women's league will conclude on January 26, 2025 in Ranchi, while the men's final is slated for February 1, 2025 in Rourkela.
On her team's win in the women's inter-department championship, Vandana said that the team believed in the mindset of "play good hockey and results would follow".
"With this mindset, we fought till the very last. Last time, we conceded two goals in four minutes. We tried to defend well in the final minutes. We finished second last time," she concluded.
The Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) women's team secured a thrilling 3-1 victory over IndianOil Ltd in the final of the 4th Hockey India Senior Women Inter-Departmental National Championship 2024 on Monday, avenging their defeat in last year's final.
In a closely fought contest, IndianOil broke the deadlock in the 18th minute with a stunning goal from Deepika. However, Railways responded immediately with a powerful strike from India's most capped player, Vandana Katariya, leveling the score just a minute later. The two teams remained neck-and-neck until the fourth quarter when Railways' captain, Navneet Kaur, put her team ahead with a crucial goal. The victory was sealed by a final strike from Indian star Salima Tete, ensuring Railways' triumph with a 3-1 scoreline.