India take on world champs

Rourkela, March 9

The Indian men’s hockey team will eye redemption when it takes on the newly-crowned world champions Germany in the FIH Pro League here tomorrow.

Led by star drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian team exited the World Cup in the pre-quarterfinal stage. With the Asian Games slated to be held later in the year, the team will aim to regain its confidence by putting up an excellent show in the Pro League.

India, Germany and Australia will play double-leg ties over the next six days. “Every match at this stage is challenging for us, especially when the opponents are Australia and Germany,” said skipper Harmanpreet, who is currently one of the three joint top-scorers with six goals in the tournament.

“It’s good for us that we are getting to play such challenging matches as our focus is on the Asian Games. So, we will make sure that we improve as a team by playing such games and give our best in the future,” he added.

Possession play

Vice-captain Hardik Singh revealed that going forward India will tweak their strategy. “There will be minor changes to our strategy, but our core values and principles will remain the same. Also, we will not only focus on our attacking style of play but also work on keeping possession,” Hardik said.

India, who finished third in the previous season, are currently fourth in the points tally. This is India’s first match after the departure of Graham Reid. Craig Fulton was named as their coach but the South African is expected to join the team later. Interim coaches David John and BJ Kariappa will be at the helm for the matches. — Agencies