"Germany and Argentina tours built confidence", says defender Nisha

The young women's hockey player is also looking forward for the Tokyo Olympics.

Playing against top sides like Argentina and Germany in their home countries has been a big confidence booster for young defender Hockey defender Nisha.

She made her debut in 2019 at the FIH Women's Series Finals Hiroshima 2019 vs Uruguay. She said, "Playing against top teams like Argentina and Germany requires a tough mental makeup. Initially, I worried about taking on a world class team. But playing those matches on their home ground helped me overcome my fear" , she stated.

Nisha was part of the Indian Team that toured Argentina in January this year. There, they also played against the host nation's junior and development squads as well.

She was also part of the team's tour to Germany in February where they played four matches against the hosts. "I feel getting that exposure to play against such top teams early in my career will help me improve as a player. I am grateful for the opportunity. These tours have certainly helped in boosting my confidence levels" stated the 25-year-old Nisha.

"Both Argentina and Germany play vey tactical hockey. The way they communicate and look for gaps to penetrate into the circle is very unique. Defending against them was not easy but at the same time, there was so much to learn from them," she said. 

Moving forward, Nisha wants to remain focused on the areas the chief coach wants her to work on. She wants to continue contributing to the team's exploits. "My immediate focus is to work on the areas as adviced by the coaching staff. Following the Germany Tour, each of our performances were analyzed. We have been told what areas we need to focus on", she stated. 

"With the Olympics fast approaching, all players want to prove their mettle in order to find a place in the team. There is a healthy competition within the core group which pushes each other to perform better. Personally, I want to learn as much as possible from the senior players and execute my role to perfection," concluded a confident Nisha.

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