Rajgir, Nov 10 : The Indian women's hockey team is keen to begin their title defence against Malaysia at the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024 on Monday. The very first international hockey tournament in Bihar will be held from November 11 to 20, featuring Paris Olympics silver medallists China, as well as Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium.

Led by captain Salima Tete and vice-captain Navneet Kaur, India will commence their campaign against Malaysia on November 11. The Indian team has a good record against Malaysia in recent times having defeated them 5-0 in the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2023 and 6-0 in the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. Before that India had registered a comprehensive 9-0 victory against Malaysia in the Women's Asia Cup 2022.

'This is the first time I will be leading the team out in a major international tournament and I am proud that I have been trusted with this responsibility. The mood of the team is very good and we are eager to get the Bihar Women's Asian Champions Trophy Rajgir 2024 underway. We play against Malaysia first but our minds are set that we need to play as a team, not as individuals and we will win all our matches. This experience will also help us prepare for our mission to qualify for the next Olympics. We are ready, now is the time to show everyone that we are a very fit, high-level team capable of beating the best teams in the world,' Salima Tete shared.

Their contest against Malaysia will be followed by a match against Korea on November 12. After a day of rest, India will face Thailand on November 14. On November 16, India will challenge Paris Olympics silver medallists China and conclude the pool stage with a match against Japan on November 17.

India must secure a top-four finish among the six teams to advance to the semi-finals on November 19. The winners will then progress to the final, scheduled for November 20. This tournament marks the Indian Women's team's first Asian competition under chief coach Harendra Singh, who took charge earlier this year.

'The team's body language has changed in the last few months, at this point we are all well aware of our roles and responsibilities. The Bihar Women's Asian Champions Trophy Rajgir 2024 is a big platform for the team to excel and showcase our potential. This is the first step towards the 'mission LA28' and the team is eager to show everyone that we are on the right path,' Harendra Singh added.

/IANS