As the Indian women’s U-18 team gears up for the Asia Cup in Japan, there is both anticipation and belief that this young group can announce itself on the continental stage. Months of preparation, gruelling training camps, and hard-fought exposure matches against Australia in Bhopal have all helped fuel that faith.
At the centre of the campaign is former India captain Rani Rampal, now tasked with guiding the next generation through their first steps in international hockey.
Placed in Pool A, India will open its campaign against Malaysia on May 30 before taking on Korea on May 31 and Singapore on June 2. The top two teams from the group will advance to the semifinals on June 5, with the final set to be played on June 6.
“My focus is not on the opponent, we are our own opponent. It doesn’t matter what other teams are doing or not doing,” Rani said in a chat with Sportstar.
“If we stick to our plan, if we improve day by day, then automatically results will come. For example, if we want to have a good Penalty Corner conversion rate, we need good defending. If we just focus on our work, then results will come.”
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Rani backed her side to put on an optimistic show and said the nerves of the big stage are actually a good sign.
“Nerves are welcome. It shows you care. I have taught my players that if we’ve prepared well, you can draw confidence from it in the tournament. We can believe that we did our very best. Don’t focus on the result, focus on the process of what we have to do for the result.”
The Asia Cup marks several firsts for several players – their maiden international event and even the first time boarding a flight for many – making the excitement in the squad impossible to miss. Even a no-nonsense coach like Rani is not oblivious to these humane elements in the big tournament experience.
“I just told them to experience it, make good memories. So, maybe 10 years later, you’ll have some incredible stories to look back on.”
Published on May 29, 2026
