India will have a psychological advantage over South Korea, having trounced them 5-0 in the league phase on Thursday, when the two meet in the semi-final of the women’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Ranchi on Saturday.
Speaking to The Telegraph during a virtual interaction on Friday, senior pro Vandana Katariya, who won her 300th international cap on Tuesday, said: “The big win over the Koreans was a morale-booster but a semi-final is a semi-final. You can take nothing for granted.
“Having said that, I can also add that we played to a plan on Thursday but added a little bit extra ourselves and we intend to do likewise in the semi-final too.”
The Indians finished the round-robin stage at the top of the table with 15 points while Korea were fourth with seven.
The loss in the semi-finals of the Asian Games to China still rankles Vandana. “It was not our day. Hence we aim to do our best here which will further prepare us for the Paris Olympic qualifiers in January.”
