Rani shines in India's 1-0 win against Great Britain

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Auckland, Feb 4 (IANS) A confident Indian Women's hockey team registered a 1-0 win against Great Britain on Tuesday in their fourth match in Auckland.

Having won their first match in the New Zealand Tour 4-0 against the NZ Development Squad, India lost the following two matches 2-1 and 1-0 respectively to the New Zealand national team.

However, on Tuesday, the team led by Rani played with full gusto as they began the match with strong attack. The efforts paid off early as the team earned a PC but could not convert. But the team continued to play with a structured defence and tight passing, which ensured little room for Great Britain to counter attack or create chances to score.

"We created enough chances and now we need to keep working on converting those chances, but our defence stood strong through the match which was a good thing," expressed chief coach Sjoerd Marijne after the match.

Ending the first half 0-0, India made another PC attempt in the third quarter but could not make the opportunity count. The team however kept up a good line of defence and continued to carry on aggressive attack.

It was not until the 47th minute when skipper Rani created space in the circle, netting a powerful shot past Great Britain's goalkeeper. The 1-0 lead put serious pressure on Great Britain who eventually could not recover, thus conceding the loss.

"Towards the end of the match, we were under pressure but the team handled it well and even ensured a goal. The win is good for a morale boost but for me it's all about the performance and I see we can grow and become more dominant and calmer on the ball," he stated further adding that it's important for the team to recover fast in order to continue winning momentum in Wednesday's match.

--IANS

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