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Amstelveen: Indian women's hockey team's experienced player Navneet Kaur believes that the women's cricket team's World Cup victory has given new inspiration to the hockey players too. He says that just as the Indian women's cricket team performed brilliantly at the world level and won the title, the aim is to repeat history in hockey too.

The Indian women's cricket team, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, won the ODI World Cup for the first time by defeating South Africa last year. Navneet said that after this victory, women players have started getting more recognition than before and this is a big source of inspiration for hockey players too.

He said that if the cricket team can perform so brilliantly at the world level then the hockey team can also do the same.

Great start for India by holding China to a draw

The Indian women's hockey team, ranked ninth in the world rankings, made a strong start to the campaign by holding Paris Olympics silver medalist and world number four team China to a 2-2 draw in their first match of the FIH World Cup.

Now the Indian team will face South Africa, which is ranked 18th in the world rankings, on Tuesday. The Indian team will be eyeing to strengthen its position by winning this match.

211 matches, 70 goals and third World Cup

30-year-old Navneet Kaur is one of the main strikers of the Indian team. This player from Haryana has played for India so far 70 goals in 211 matches Have done.

Navneet, who scored four goals each in the FIH Nations Cup and World Cup Qualifiers, is being considered an important face of India's hopes in this World Cup.

Navneet says that she is enjoying this phase of her career. She is satisfied with her performance in the tournaments played this year and wants to maintain the same rhythm in the World Cup.

'There is confidence, preparation was also good'

Navneet said that the experience of playing international hockey for a long time gives him confidence. The team has also prepared well for the World Cup.

According to her, her performance has been good so far this year and she wants the same momentum to continue in the World Cup. The confidence of the players will be important for the team to progress in the tournament.

Navneet is now playing the role of a senior player

Navneet, who started her World Cup career from the London World Cup in 2018, is now among the senior players of the team. She is telling that her role has also changed with time.

When she joined the team, as a junior player, she used to learn from senior players and coaches. Now she herself is fulfilling the responsibility of guiding the young players.

According to Navneet, this is his third World Cup. He did not have much experience in the first World Cup, whereas his performance improved till the second World Cup. Now, after playing more than 200 international matches, he has both experience and maturity.

'Not just skill, smart hockey is also important'

Navneet told that after becoming a part of the senior team in 2017, he has understood many aspects of hockey. Initially his focus was mainly on sporting skills, but with time he realized that international level smart hockey and fitness are equally important.

Now she is continuously working hard on both these aspects.

Special advice given to 11 players playing for the first time in the World Cup

There are 11 players in the Indian team who are playing the World Cup for the first time. Navneet has advised these young players that they should have confidence in themselves.

He said that when he played the World Cup for the first time, he also did not know what the experience of the tournament would be like and how different teams play. But while playing with the team, he has seen world class potential in these players.

Navneet said that pressure is natural in big tournaments, but players should talk to senior players and coaches. This helps them understand their role and reduce pressure.

How is the current team different from the Tokyo Olympics team?

Comparing the Indian team, which finished fourth in the Tokyo Olympics, and the current team, Navneet said that at that time there were many experienced players in the team, whereas the current team has a large number of young players.

The atmosphere of preparation for the Tokyo Olympics during the Corona epidemic was also different. At that time the team stayed together for a longer period and the players got more opportunities to practice together.

The current team has got the advantage of playing Nations Cup and qualifiers before the World Cup. According to Navneet, this has given good exposure to the young players at international level and the coordination within the team has also improved.

Right now, focus is not on Asian Games, only on World Cup.

Regarding the Asian Games to be held next month, Navneet said that that tournament is definitely important, but at the moment the team's entire focus is on the World Cup.

He believes that the confidence gained from performing well in the World Cup will be useful to the team in the future Asian Games also. Therefore, at present the team's aim is to give its best performance in the World Cup.