As the Indian women’s hockey team gear up ahead of their Commonwealth Games 2022 campaign opener against Ghana, star forward Vandana Katariya has said that she thinks her side has improved since their World Cup disappointment.

The Indian women’s hockey team were beaten by co-hosts Spain before they could reach the quarterfinals. The team also finished fourth in the Tokyo Olympics, one place shy of finishing with a medal. Vandana Katariya was the highest scorer for the Indian team at the 2022 FIH Women’s World Cup as she scored thrice in six matches.

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The 30-year-old also revealed that the preparations ahead of the Commonwealth Games have gone well.

“Our preparations have been going great. After the World Cup we have had two weeks to prepare for the opener. We have dedicated all our time working on our strengths and making sure that we can iron out our weaknesses as a team,” she said.

“I think our squad has improved considerably in these two weeks,” Katariya added.

Vandana felt that the performance at the FIH Women’s World Cup was far from a projection of India’s true abilities, but the team did not give up after the tournament.

“Even though our performance at the World Cup was not a display of our full potential, it fills me with hope and joy that we always looked to play our own game,” she quipped.

“We never gave up which shows the mental fortitude the players in this squad have thereby giving us an edge ahead of our first game at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games,” the forward added.

This will be the third time Vandana is participating in the Commonwealth Games. She was part of the Indian women’s hockey team squad that finished fifth and fourth at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games respectively.

The women’s hockey team won the gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games while securing the silver in the subsequent edition. However, they have been unable to clinch a medal at the mega-event since 2006 and will look forward to changing their feat at the 2022 edition.

Ahead of her third time at the quadrennial event, Vandana said that she feels in good form and cannot wait for the tournament to begin.

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“I feel that I am in great form and the momentum is with me from the World Cup. I am ready and raring to go and cannot wait for the first match to start,” she said.

“I am extremely optimistic about our squad’s chances to clinch a medal at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games,” she concluded.

Indian women’s hockey team begin their Commonwealth Games campaign against Ghana from 6:30 pm IST on July 29.