We have some surprises in our game for Tokyo - India women's hockey team head coach Sjoerd Marijne
Rani Rani hails from Haryana's Kurukshetra district. The captain of the Indian women's hockey team is gearing up for her second successive Olympics.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, this is what Rani Rampal had to share:
On being at successive Olympic Games:
"It is a great feeling to be in (my) second Olympic Games. With COVID-19 plaguing the world, the journey has been tougher than usual. I think Japan did a really good job to manage this Olympics and give every athlete the opportunity to be here, play and be safe."
"In Rio, for all of us (in the Indian women's hockey team) it was our first Olympics and we were all excited that India's women's hockey was there. Now this time is different. We have some experienced players, we have some new players, and now we know what the Olympics is like. This time we know we can do well on any given day, if we perform to our abilities."
On how the expectations from the team has changed since the Olympic Games in Rio 2016:
"Rio was a great experience for all of us and especially for me. We learned a lot from that Olympics, like how to handle the pressure and you need to do everything here that you need to do back at home. You can't just say 'OK we will do it at the Olympics'. The homework should be done before."
"I think that was a learning point for all of us. Especially for us to enjoy the moment. We didn't enjoy the Rio moment so this time we are planning on enjoying every moment we are here."
On India's first match of the tournament against The Netherlands on Saturday:
"They are the No.1 (ranked side in the world) but I think the pressure is on them. We need to play our game. We shouldn't think about the result or what the outcome will be. We should be satisfied by our performance."
On the team's expectations:
"For the overall tournament, first we need to be in the quarterfinals. We need to clear the pool and after the quarterfinals it's anyone's game. Tournaments totally change in the knockout stages."
On India's style of play:
"Our team really likes to play attacking hockey and that is the Indian style for both men and women. I think nowadays you see if you have both things balanced, defence and attack, then you can manage the game, but I think we are ready. We have speed in the team and we (have) a very attacking style."
Sjoerd Marijne is expecting India to perform well at the Tokyo Olympics
Sportskeeda also managed to catch up with Waltherus Norbertus Maria Marijne, the coach of the Indian women's hockey team. This is what he had to say in the little exclusive chat.
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On Rani's impact in the team:
"For us she is not a celebrity but with Rani doing well, we have a mission with the team for all of us to put women in a better position in India. This helps her to go for that goal, because if we do well, we get a lot of exposure."
"Rani is an example as a leader and leads by example. But for Rani it is also important for her to now focus on herself. She is experienced, she's helping players around her and that makes my work a little bit easier."
On what to expect from India at Olympic Games Tokyo 2020:
"We have a few surprising players. Not a lot of teams have seen us play in the past five or six months, so I hope you will recognise the surprises after the matches we have played. We have some speed, we have some skills and I have a lot of confidence in the girls."
Check Out: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule