Asia Cup: India face China, eye Cup berth

New Delhi: India will eye top honour as well as a World Cup berth in their Women’s Asia Cup final against China in Kakamigahara, Japan, on Sunday.

“We want to qualify for the World Cup by winning this tournament,” India captain Rani said on Saturday.

India are unbeaten in the tournament, defeating Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals and defending champions Japan in the semis. They will hope to continue the winning momentum.

“We are extremely motivated after the men won the Asia Cup. Now it’s our turn. The mood in the dressing room is upbeat. Everyone is excited and fully prepared for the final,” said Rani.

“The match against Japan was really good. Getting off to a good start was the plan and members of the team executed their specific roles. We played as per the strategies planned by our coaches and ensured there were minimal errors,” she added.

Before the 4-2 victory over Japan, India thrashed China 4-1 in the pool stage.

But the skipper insisted they were not taking China lightly.

In the Asian Champions Trophy last year, India lost to China 2-3 in the pool stage but came back strongly in the final to beat them 2-1 in a crunch game.