India hockey goalkeeper admits double defeat to Belgium was disappointing but insists team is looking forward to beating Argentina next up
India women's hockey captain and goalkeeper Savita Punia
India women's hockey captain Savita Punia admits that her team are going through a tough phase, having lost their FIH Pro League double header (1-2 and 0-5) away to Belgium recently. Up next, they face another uphill task in the form of table-toppers Argentina (38 points from 14 matches) in Rotterdam in The Netherlands, on June 18 and 19.
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"We did not perform as expected against Belgium, but that was probably for the better because we have been trying different players in different positions and now they have all realised their mistakes and are keen to improve. We had two intense training sessions since and I have spoken to the players at length about where they are lacking and where there is room for improvement. Sport teaches us to learn from our mistakes and we are most keen to do that," said Savita, whose Team India are ranked a lowly sixth (16 points from 10 matches) in the 11-team competition.
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The last time India played Argentina was in the semi-finals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where they went down 1-2. However, Punia insists that her team performed brilliantly in that match and is now hoping they can repeat that performance over the weekend. "Argentina are a top team, but we played a good game against them in Tokyo. In fact, we played so well that after that match, some of the Argentine players came and congratulated us and said that we could have won, but it probably just wasn't our day. We are hoping to carry that form into these two matches and give a good account of ourselves," added Punia.
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