On Wednesday, Indian women's hockey team Captain Rani Rampal said that good performance in the upcoming matches against high-ranked teams like New Zealand and Britain would prove to be better for the Olympic preparations. Rani said this before leaving for Auckland for the first tour of the season. The Indian team will play four matches against New Zealand and one against Britain.

Rani said that we want to do well against teams like New Zealand (ranking six) and Britain (ranking five). This will strengthen the preparation for the Olympics. A good start against tough teams matters a lot. India is scheduled to play New Zealand's development team on 25 January. After this, they will play with the New Zealand national teams on 27 and 29 January and the UK on 4 February. Rani said the team is benefiting from the experience of analysis coach Yanneke Schopman. She said that it is wonderful that she joined our camp. She knows a lot about our team.