India take on France in Euro tour opener

Le Touquet (France), Aug 2

The Indian hockey team on Monday will play their first match after the ouster of chief coach Paul van Ass and the appointment of high performance director Roelant Oltmans in his place.

They will take on France in a two-match series before proceeding to Spain, where they will play three matches. The tour has been planned to prepare for the Hockey World League (HWL) Finals to be played in India in November-December.

“Though we have beaten France in our previous encounters, we are not taking them lightly. They are preparing for the EuroHockey Championships; it’s very important for them, and they will look to make the most of this series,” said Oltmans.

“The tour will help us understand our strategies better and strengths. I am hopeful we will start our campaign on a positive note.” This tour has come after India finished fourth at the HWL Semifinal in Belgium.

India had faced current World No. 17 France in the semifinal rounds of the HWL in 2012-13 and 2014-15. On both occasions, India emerged winners. In 2012-13, they outplayed the European team 6-2, while in the recent encounter they won 3-2.

India will once again rely on experienced players like drag-flicker VR Raghunath, defender Kothajit Singh and forward SV Sunil. Along with them, the trip will see the return of SK Uthappa, Danish Mujtaba and Mandeep Singh.

“France is a good team, they have some good players. We can’t take them lightly and will play with our man-to-man strategy. In our last match in HWL Semifinal in Belgium, they stunned us with their speed and an early goal. This time we won’t give them room for surprise attacks and will try to keep the ball possession in our side,” Sardar said.

“Some key players are back in the team which will strengthen our defence and forward line. We have some young players also. We are expecting a good result in the first match. We will give our best during this tour.” — IANS