U23 5 Nations hockey tournament: Indian women's open campaign vs Ireland

The Indian junior women's hockey team will look to put up a good show as it begins its campaign at the Uniphar U23 5 Nations Tournament with a clash against Ireland here on Sunday.

The Indian team, which last played at the FIH Women's Junior World Cup in South Africa in April this year, will play against Ireland, Netherlands, USA and Ukraine in the league stage of the competition.

"We are finally here to play at the Uniphar U23 5 Nations 2022 and we could not be happier. The weather here is great. We have had a few practice sessions to get adjusted to the conditions," Indian captain Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke said in a Hockey India press release.

"We have played well during training, and now we're hoping to replicate it in the upcoming matches."

After the game against Ireland, India will go up against the Netherlands on June 20, followed by matches against Ukraine on June 22 and the USA on June 23.

"We have trained very well and we are quite excited because this is a huge opportunity for us to showcase our talent. This trip is also a fantastic exposure for our side," Beauty Dungdung, who has been named Phalke's deputy for the series.

"So we're just going to take it one game at a time, focus on ourselves and our game, and, yes, improve with each game."

At the end of the round-robin stage, the top two teams on the table will directly qualify for the final while the third and fourth-placed sides will battle it out in the bronze medal play-off match.

The final and the bronze medal play-off match are slated to be held on June 26.