"Getting off to a good start against England will give us right momentum" - India captain Salima Tete at FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup

Indian junior women's hockey team skipper Salima Tete has said that they will be focusing on getting off to a good start against England in the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup bronze medal-playoff match.

The Indian team lost to the Netherlands 0-3 in the World Cup semi-finals on Sunday and will take on England on April 12.

A disappointed Salima Tete rued the team's missed chances against the Netherlands.

"We are quite disappointed from our match against the Netherlands," she said. "We created so many chances but could not convert. It just felt like it wasn't our day."

Read: FIH Pro League 2021/22: Coach Janneke Schopman and skipper Savita Punia speak about team's performance so far

Moving on, Tete said the team has had a fruitful discussion post their semi-final debacle and is now focused on the task at hand.

"There is no point thinking about what's happened in the past," she said. "Now we need to be absolutely focused on the upcoming match against England. Getting off to a good start against them will definitely give us the right momentum and that is what we will be looking for against them."

Salima Tete's team keen for an encore

The Indian junior women's hockey team would be keen for an encore. In the 2013 Women's Junior World Cup, the Netherlands beat India 3-0 in the semi-finals. The Indian team, then led by Sushila Chanu, beat England 3-2 in a penalty shoot-out in a tense bronze medal match after being deadlocked 1-1 at the end of regulation time.

Rani Rampal scored two goals in the shoot-out and scored the lone regulation time goal.

England, meanwhile, come into the play-off match after a 0-8 loss to Germany in the semi-finals this time. They were the table toppers from Pool B, having beaten South Africa and Ireland convincingly.

In the quarter-finals, England got the better of USA 2-1 in a thrilling encounter where they recovered from an early setback, having conceded a goal in the third minute.

Salima Tete's deputy, Ishika Chaudhary, meanwhile, said the team would be focused on playing to their strengths. She also emphasized that the defense needs to be water-tight.

"England are a good side and we watched videos from their previous matches, " she said. "I just feel it is important for us to be focused on our game and ensure we score from the chances we create and be tight in our defending. It's important we don't allow space for them and we have to play to our strengths."