The Indian women's hockey team left for Hiroshima in the wee hours of Saturday to take part in the FIH Women's Series Finals, which is part of the Olympic Qualifying pathway.
"We go into this tournament with a lot of confidence we carry from our recent tours in Spain, Malaysia and Republic of Korea. Our performance has been on the rise over the past year and the fact that many of us have been playing together for quite a few years gives us an edge," said skipper Rani on the eve of their departure.
It was a historic moment for the Indian women's team when it qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
"It was the first time that India had ever qualified for the Olympics in Women's Hockey. We did create history but we certainly don't want it to be a one-off qualification. Our team is capable of repeating it again and we will aim to finish on the top in this tournament," asserted Rani.
India are grouped with Poland, Uruguay and Fiji in Pool A while 18th Asian Games Champions Japan, Chile, Russia and Mexico are grouped in Pool B.
India start their campaign against Uruguay on 15 June 2019. India will need to finish within the two positions by making it to the final in order to qualify for the Olympic Qualification event later this year.
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