2021 Tokyo Olympics | Back-to-back foreign tours are golden opportunities for us, admits Rani Rampal

After a seven-match tour in Argentina, during which the Indian women’s team gained valuable exposure, the eves are set to kick-start their second overseas assignment in Germany, this Saturday. The 18-member contingent, including players and support staff already landed in Dusseldorf for the four-match tour a few days back. Indian skipper Rani Rampal admitted that a couple of back-to-back international tours in a short span are golden opportunities in the build-up to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. 

"Argentina tour helped us gain confidence. These back-to-back tours in a short span are like golden opportunities for us. We are just months away from the Tokyo Olympics, and these matches against top teams will help us finding loopholes and gain momentum before the Games," said Rani Rampal.

Even though the Argentina tour was competitive, the Indian player feels that their matches against Germany are going to be tougher, with the European country being a serious contender for claiming the pole position in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. The first and second game of the series will be played on Saturday and Sunday respectively, while the final two games are scheduled for March 2 and 3.

"It is going to be a totally different experience than the Argentina tour. From our skills to fitness level, everything will be tested, and that's what we as a team want. It will be a challenging tour for us, considering we will be playing back-to-back matches," added Rani.

"Our priority, for now is to get into that competitive frame of mind. The experience of playing against a top team like Germany will really add value to our preparations for the Olympic Games."