Forward Jyoti Chhatri wants to make a place in the team for FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers

Indian women's hockey team forward Jyoti Chhatri wants to make a place in the team for FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers as she believes that her experience in the recently concluded 5-nation tournament Valencia 2023 has helped her grow as a player.

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"I was elated to be considered for the squad for the Valencia tour. It is always a great opportunity to learn when you get to train alongside the senior team. Having competitive matches against such strong oppositions also helped me understand the tenacity and mental strength needed to fight to win at the highest levels," Jyoti said.

Jyoti has played an important role in the Indian junior women's hockey team for the past year and played all six matches for India at the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2023 and scored a goal during the thrilling 3-3 draw. She also played a key role during India's gold medal-winning performance at the Women's Junior Asia Cup 2023.

The 19-year-old made her senior team debut earlier this year against England in the 2023, 4 Nations Women's Invitation Tournament (Barcelona). The 5-nation tournament Valencia 2023 was another good opportunity for her to compete against some of the top teams – Ireland, Germany, Spain and Belgium.

The Indian women's hockey team started the tournament with 2-3 defeats to Spain and 1-2 defeats to Belgium in Valencia. After losing 1-3 to Germany in their third match of the competition, India recorded a thrilling 2-1 win over Ireland in their final match of the tournament.

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India will compete at the most important FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Ranchi 2024 with the aim of securing a spot at the Paris Olympics 2024. The Indian women's hockey team will begin their campaign against the United States on January 13 and face New Zealand on January 14 before their last Pool B encounter against Italy on January 16. Pool A includes Germany, Japan, Chile, Czech Republic.